Wisden overview
When Ajay Ratra made a gritty 115 not out in Antigua in the West Indian summer of 2002, he became the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test century and the second Indian wicketkeeper to score one overseas. He was just 20 and it was only his third Test. Useful he is with the bat, but Ratra is better with gloves: slightly built, nimble on his feet and overall safe. An early starter, he was part of the Indian under-19 team that won the Youth World Cup in early 2000, and the following season, he captained them to victory over England in a home series. After some invaluable time at the national academy with Rod Marsh and Syed Kirmani, Ratra made the senior team after the selectors had experimented with six different wicketkeepers in the space of a year. Now, he looks set to occupy it for a while. Rahul Bhattacharya

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