HCA appoints Jaffer as mentor on a two-year deal

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has appointed Wasim Jaffer as mentor — cricketing activities for a two-year term. The former India opener, who will assume the role on August 1, will oversee all senior and age-group teams.

Since retiring in 2020, Jaffer — the highest scorer in Ranji Trophy with 12,038 runs — has built a coaching resume with gigs at Punjab, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Vidarbha. The 48-year-old also served as batting consultant of the Bangladesh men’s under-19 side and as batting coach of Punjab Kings between the 2019 and 2023 IPL seasons.

“I played with him, I’ve grown up seeing him play and I know how his mind works and how disciplined he is. Nobody knows the domestic circuit as well as he does. We wanted to bring in positivity and guide talented players in the right direction. Jaffer is the best person for it,” Ambati Rayudu, HCA’s head of cricket operations, told The Hindu.

Jaffer will also conduct coaching clinics for players and coaches. “He will be travelling with the teams — maybe two Ranji Trophy games, one game with the u-23s, one game with the u-16s and so on. We want to inculcate a winning mindset and have a good cricketing culture. We want to maximise his services,” Rayudu added.

Rayudu said that HCA might look at continuity with the head coaches while Jaffer will oversee the cricketing programme.

“The only thing Jaffer wanted was freedom to do his work without any interference from the association. We gave him that guarantee, which is what convinced him. We are here to take care of him and he is here to take care of our players,” HCA secretary Jeevan Reddy said.

Improving infrastructure across districts is also on the HCA’s to-do list. “We will have academies and grounds, which will include dormitories as well as other basic facilities. The eight districts we have identified are Adilabad, Karimnagar, Kammam, Avavnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizambad and Warangal,” Rayudu said.

In addition, HCA plans to establish four Centres of Excellence catering to the north, south, east and west regions of Telangana. The facilities, proposed in Suryapet, Jagityal, Nagarkurnool and Zaheerabad, will be of BCCI’s standards.