Kanitkar, Ratra to coach Goa

Panaji: The Goa Cricket Association (GCA) wants just-retired cricketers, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ajay Ratra, to steer Goan cricket forward.
The newly-elected managing committee of the GCA led by president Chetan Desai met at its Porvorim headquarters on Friday for the first time and decided a change in guard was needed to give Goan cricket the push it so badly needs.
So, Kanitkar, who wiped away 12 years of hurt by hitting that winning boundary against Pakistan in the 1998 Independence Cup final, is the man who will be in charge of Goa’s campaign in the Ranji Trophy, while Ajay Ratra, the little man who hit a gutsy unbeaten Test century against the West Indies has been handed charge of the juniors.
“We haven’t as yet sealed a deal with Kanitkar in the true sense of the word but in all certainties he will be our Ranji coach. He is a man with great experience and his prowess goes beyond that boundary against Pakistan,” said Desai.
Kanitkar, should he agree to the financial package offered by GCA, will take over from former Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa.
“Kanitkar did an exemplary job with Rajasthan and is among those rare cricketers to win both the Elite and the Plate league titles. He has just retired and our cricketers have plenty to benefit from his experience,” said Desai.
Kanitkar, who represented Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in domestic cricket and ended his career early this month, is among just three batsmen to have scored 8000-plus runs in Ranji Trophy. His 28 centuries are also joint third-highest in the tournament’s history.
Ratra needs no introduction to cricket enthusiasts in this part of the world. At a time when no Indian cricketer wanted to pledge allegiance to Goa, Ratra swam against the tide and jumped to Goa’s rescue.
“Ratra has always been held in high esteem by fellow cricketers in Goa. He will now help mould some fine talent that we have,” said the GCA president.
Ratra was part of the Indian under-19 team that won the Youth World Cup in early 2000.