Ajaysinhji Jadeja, better known as Ajay Jadeja, is a former Indian professional cricketer who was part of the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000. He had played 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals for India.
Jadeja, who was regarded as one of the best fielders in the Indian team in his time, is best remembered for hitting and quick finishing of the overs in the late 1990s.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER:
Jadeja's most memorable match was when he hit 45 runs off 25 balls in the crucial quarter-final match against Pakistan during the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He, along with Mohammed Azharuddin, holds the record for the highest one-day partnership record for the 4th and 5th wicket, set against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka respectively. Another memorable match was when he took three wickets for three runs in a single over against England in Sharjah to win the match for India.
Jadeja has captained India in 13 One-day matches, and the last match he played in a One Day International was against Pakistan in the Pepsi Asia Cup on June 3, 2000. He scored 93 but India lost the game.
MATCH-FIXING SCANDAL:
Jadeja was banned for five years from playing any format of official cricket after match-fixing allegations emerged against him. He had approached the Delhi High Court on February 2, 2001, challenging the BCCI order imposing the ban on the basis of the K. Madhavan Committee recommendations. The ban was quashed by the Delhi High Court on January 27, 2003 and he became eligible to play domestic and international cricket.
AFTER CRICKET:
In 2015, Jadeja was appointed as the main coach for the Delhi cricket team but he resigned from the post. He is currently a cricket commentator.
FILM AND TELEVISION:
Jadeja has featured in three movies, namely, Khel – No Ordinary Game (2003), and Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat (2009), and in 2013, he made a cameo appearance as a cricket commentator in the movie Kai Po Che!
During the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, Jadeja worked for Zee News as a cricket anchor, along with Zaheer Abbas, the former cricket captain of Pakistan. He reprised the role for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. He was a contestant on the celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in its first season and had also appeared on the TV show Comedy Circus.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Ajay Jadeja was born on February 1, 1971 in Jamnagar, Gujarat to Daulatsinh Jadeja and Gyanba Jadeja. He is married to Aditi Jaitley with whom he has a son and a daughter.
SOCIAL:
Ajay Jadeja updates followers through Instagram - Ajay Sinhji Jadeja/@travelermaan.