By Aakash Kumar

New Delhi, Jun 23 (IANS): Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer has been appointed as the new head coach of Uttarakhand Ranji team for the upcoming domestic season.

Confirming his appointment to IANS, Jaffer on Tuesday said: "Yes, I have been appointed the head coach of the Uttarakhand for a period of one year."

Jaffer had called an end to his 24-year career as a professional cricketer on March 7 earlier this year. A veteran of 260 first-class games, Jaffer also played 31 Test matches and two ODIs for India. Having started off with Mumbai, the opener had moved to Vidarbha before the 2015-16 season.

Playing for Vidarbha, while Jaffer became the first player to play in 150 Ranji Trophy games in 2019, he also had a brilliant run in the 2018-19 season, scoring 1037 runs at an average of 69.13 with four hundreds and a highest score of 206.

"I am very happy and excited as this will be my first stint as head coach of a team," said the domestic stalwart.

"I will try and make a difference out there in the lives and careers of the players. Would make sure that the team and the players improve.

"According to me, winning is everything. So, I will try and bring that winning culture within the team so that they can perform better in the upcoming seasons," he added.

There's a growing uncertainty over the start of the domestic season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 42-year-old seems optimistic about seeing some domestic cricket action this year.

"I don't think it will start on time but I am sure it will start at some point. No one can really predict about the time frame at this moment.

"But I am hopeful we will see domestic cricket taking place this year," he said.