Ajay Jadeja

Ajay Jadeja Biography

Ajay Jadeja, a protégé of Haryana senior Kapil Dev and a descendant of Ranji and Duleep, was a mercurial cricketer.

A fantastic strokeplayer who could be unstoppable in ODIs, he was also a rather useful medium-pacer and one of the best ever fielders produced by the country. Added to it was the rakishly infectious smile he wore through every moment that he was out there.

The number of rescue acts from hopeless situations he carried out from the lower middle order defies count, the association with Robin Singh in the 1999 World Cup against Australia perhaps the most telling, the 223-run collaboration with Mohammad Azharuddin at Colombo, 1997, the other near-miraculous effort.

However, some of his most remembered acts were cameos — the 25-ball 45 at Bangalore against Pakistan in the World Cup semi-final a part of cricketing folklore, whereas the run-a-ball 43 in the Titan Cup final of 1996 almost as effective. And who can forget the magnificent running, tumbling catch to dismiss Allan Border in just his second match?

However, through all this there ran an incorrigible strain. He never quite succeeded in Tests, almost abhorred playing them in spite of being made vice-captain, and was prone to carry his smile along with him on his walk back to the pavilion after particularly irresponsible dismissals. Tainted in the CBI report on match-fixing, he was banned for five years in 2000 which effectively ended his international career.

A versatile all-rounder even beyond the cricket ground, he flirted with success in modelling and films, before settling down for another stint of domestic cricket. He met with a lot of success for Delhi till 2004, and as a captain/coach of Rajasthan from 2005 to 2007. In 2013, he returned for a couple of matches for Haryana at the age of 42, with limited success. Jadeja later moved on to coaching and commentary.

With the ODI success and Test failure typecasting him as a limited-overs cricketer, we often forget that Jadeja was an excellent batsman in First-Class cricket who ended with an average of 54 and had a penchant for huge scores. In late 1991, he had a fascinating run of 131 in the Irani Cup, 256 against Services, 228 against Punjab and 199 against Himachal Pradesh. He also scored 254 not out in a victorious tour game in South Africa in 1992-93 against Combined Bowl XI. In 1993, he hit 264 against Central Zone in Duleep Trophy. In all he scored 7 First-Class double-hundreds.

Arunabha Sengupta

Ajay Jadeja Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	15	24	576	2	96	26.18	1460	39.45	0	4	62	3	5	0
ODIs	196	179	5359	36	119	37.47	7682	69.76	6	30	366	85	59	0
T20s	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	21	18	522	3	100*	34.80	731	71.40	1	2	39	9	5	0

Ajay Jadeja Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	15	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
ODIs	196	1248	1094	20	54.70	5.259	62.40	0	0	3/3	3/3
T20s	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	21	170	143	3	47.66	5.047	56.66	0	--	2/32	3/3

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