Ajay Ratra

{{Short description|Indian cricketer (born 1981)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Ajay Ratra

| fullname = Ajay Ratra

| image = Cricket_no_pic.png

| country = India

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|12|13|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Faridabad, Haryana, India

| nickname = Bunty

| heightft =

| heightinch =

| heightm =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| role = Wicket-keeper

| international = true

| internationalspan = 2002

| testdebutdate = 19 April

| testdebutyear = 2002

| testdebutagainst = West Indies

| testcap = 243

| lasttestdate = 9 September

| lasttestyear = 2002

| lasttestagainst = England

| odidebutdate = 19 January

| odidebutyear = 2002

| odidebutagainst = England

| odicap = 140

| lastodidate = 9 July

| lastodiyear = 2002

| lastodiagainst = England

| odishirt =

| club1 = Haryana

| year1 = 1999–2005

| clubnumber1 =

| club2 = Goa

| year2 = 2007–2011

| clubnumber2 =

| club3 = Tripura

| year3 = 2011–2013

| clubnumber3 =

| columns = 4

|hidedeliveries = true

| column1 = Test

| matches1 = 6

| runs1 = 163

| bat avg1 = 18.11

| 100s/50s1 = 1/0

| top score1 = 115*

| catches/stumpings1 = 11/2

| column2 = ODI

| matches2 = 12

| runs2 = 90

| bat avg2 = 12.85

| 100s/50s2 = 0/0

| top score2 = 30

| catches/stumpings2 = 11/5

| column3 = FC

| matches3 = 99

| runs3 = 4,029

| bat avg3 = 30.29

| 100s/50s3 = 8/17

| top score3 = 204*

| catches/stumpings3 = 233/27

| column4 = LA

| matches4 = 89

| runs4 = 1381

| bat avg4 = 22.63

| 100s/50s4 = 1/6

| top score4 = 103

| catches/stumpings4 = 78/30

| date = 23 July

| year = 2015

| source = http://www.cricinfo.com/indiandomestic2010/content/current/player/33127.html ESPNcricinfo

}}

Ajay Ratra {{audio|Ajay_Ratra.ogg|pronunciation}} (born 13 December 1981) is a former Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. He made his ODI debut on 19 Jan 2002 against England. He is appointed by the BCCI as the National Selector of the Indian Men's Cricket team in September 2024.

Ratra was selected in 2000 for the first intake of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.{{cite news| first = Partab| last = Ramchand| title = First list of NCA trainees| url = http://feedsuk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2000/APR/029816_CI_15APR2000.html| archive-url = https://archive.today/20120709221110/http://feedsuk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2000/APR/029816_CI_15APR2000.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 9 July 2012| publisher=ESPNcricinfo| date = 2000-04-15| access-date = 2007-02-08}}

When Ratra made an innings of 115 not out in 2002 against the West Indies, he was the youngest wicketkeeper to make a century in Tests, and first Indian wicketkeeper to make an overseas century. After he was injured in 2002, he was replaced by Parthiv Patel, the youngest ever Test wicketkeeper. Ratra then fell behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and Patel in the pecking order.

Ratra was part of the Indian Under-19 squad which won the Youth World Cup in 2000, and following training sessions with the National Cricket Academy he became one of six wicketkeepers that India would attempt to integrate into the squad in the space of 12 months. He played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Goa.

In July 2015 Ratra announced his retirement from cricket. He played 99 first-class matches in which he scored 4029 runs at an average of 30.29 including eight hundreds and a double-century. He also played in 89 List A games in which scored 1381 runs at 22.63.{{cite news |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/893259.html |title=Ajay Ratra calls time on 16-year career |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|date=1 July 2015 |access-date=1 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704214918/http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/893259.html |archive-date=4 July 2015 |url-status=live }}