Mumbai: Former Indian all rounder Ajay Jadeja turns 49 Saturday. Jadeja was a regular member of the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000. He played 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals for India. Later he was embroiled in a match-fixing with former skipper Mohammed Azharuddin that brought his cricketing career to an end.
According to reports, the main cause of downfall of Jadeja in cricket started as soon as he got involved with actress Madhuri Dixit.
Both met during a photo shoot of a magazine after which there friendship blossomed and soon turned into love.
Jadeja’s game got affected, which upset his family who advised him to focus on the game. According to reports, Jadeja was from a royal family while Madhuri was from a middle-class household. Ajay’s family was not happy about this affair and they did not want Ajay to continue his relationship with Madhuri.
Madhrui also decided to go away once and for all from him and got happily married to a surgeon.
However, Jadeja’s cricketing achievements were later overshadowed by a 5-year ban for match-fixing. The ban was later quashed by the Delhi High Court 27 January 2003, making Jadeja eligible to play domestic and international cricket. Jadeja had approached the Delhi High Court 2 February 2001, challenging the BCCI order imposing the five-year ban on the basis of the K. Madhavan Committee recommendations. He was back playing in Ranji Trophy games in 2003.
Jadeja acted in the 2003 movie Khel with Sunny Deol and Sunil Shetty. He also acted in the 2009 movie, Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat, directed by V.K.Kumar.
In 2015, Jadeja was appointed as the main coach for Delhi cricket team but he resigned from the post. Jadeja is currently a cricket commentator.
