Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja has been named as the next Jamsaheb of Jamnagar. The development was confirmed by the Maharaja Jamsaheb of Nawanangar in a statement.
The announcement has taken the social media platforms by storm and made Jadeja the talk of the town. Let's revisit Ajay Jadeja's playing career for India and the records that are associated with his name.
First-class career
Jadeja made his first-class debut during the 1988/89 season. A right-handed batter, Jadeja went on to play 111 first-class matches and aggregated 8100 runs at an average of 54.00.
He struck 20 centuries and 40 half-centuries during his first-class career and played for teams like Delhi, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
Jadeja played his last first-class game for Haryana against Vidarbha in Nagpur in November 2013. A right-arm medium pacer, Jadeja picked up 54 wickets in his first-class career.
List A career
Jadeja also made his List A debut during the 1988-89 season. He accumulated 8304 runs in 291 List A games at an average of 37.91 and scored 11 hundreds and 48 fifties with a personal best of 119.
He also claimed 49 wickets during his List A career at an average of 46.08. Jadeja played his last List A game for Rajasthan against Madhya Pradesh on February 10, 2006.
ODI career
Jadeja made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka in Mackay on February 28, 1992. It was a World Cup game and resulted in a washout due to persistent drizzle.
Jadeja represented India in 196 ODI matches and amassed 5359 runs at an average of 37.47 and a strike rate of 69.79. He also scored six centuries and 30 half-centuries in ODIs. He struck two centuries each against Australia and Sri Lanka and one each against West Indies and Zimbabwe.
He claimed 20 wickets during his ODI career, including his career-best spell of 3/3 against England in Sharjah on April 9, 1999.
Test career
Jadeja made his Test debut after making his ODI debut for India. His Test debut came against South Africa in Durban in November 1992. He went on to play 15 Tests during his career and racked up 576 runs at an average of 26.18 including four half-centuries.
His Test career couldn't really take off as he couldn't manage to make the most of the opportunities which came his way. The last Test of his career also came against the Proteas in February 2000 and India lost the game by four wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.
Records
- Ajay Jadeja is one of the very few international cricketers who have scored 5000 ODI runs and have inflicted 50 fielding dismissals.
- Ajay Jadeja is one of the 13 players who have scored over 5000 runs in ODIs for India.
Controversy
Ajay Jadeja was banned for five years in December 2000 following the findings in a CBI inquiry on match-fixing. Jadeja contested the ban but in November 2004 the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea to play international cricket for India. He was subsequently permitted by a Division Bench to play domestic cricket.
Coaching
In September 2023, Ajay Jadeja was appointed as the assistant coach/mentor of the Afghanistan men's cricket team for the ODI World Cup in India. The Afghan team enjoyed a successful run during the tournament as they defeated the defending champions England and Pakistan for the first time in ODIs.
