NEW DELHI: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) made a significant announcement on Monday, revealing that they have enlisted former India captain Ajay Jadeja as their team mentor for the upcoming ODI World Cup, set to take place from October 5 to November 19 in India.
During his cricket career, Jadeja served as the captain of the Indian team in 13 ODIs and participated in a total of 196 matches.
He amassed an impressive 5359 runs with an average of 37.47, including six centuries and 30 half-centuries to his credit. Additionally, he represented India in three World Cups.

One of Jadeja’s most memorable moments in ODI cricket was his explosive innings of 45 runs off just 25 balls during the 1996 World Cup quarter-final against Pakistan in Bengaluru.
His remarkable performance included smashing 40 runs off the final two overs, even against the formidable fast-bowling legend, Waqar Younis.
He also played 15 Tests for India from 1992 to 2000, scoring 576 runs at an average of 26.18 with four half-centuries to his name and a best individual score of 96. Jadeja, who made his first-class debut for Haryana in 1988, played 111 first-class and 291 List A games, scoring over 8000 runs with 31 hundreds and 88 fifties combined from both formats of the game.
After his international career was brought to a halt by a five-year ban due to match fixing, Jadeja worked in some movies as an actor. Though his plea of seeking permission to play international cricket was dismissed by the Delhi High Court, Jadeja did get back to playing domestic cricket for Delhi and later on, became captain-cum coach of the Rajasthan team.
Once his playing days were over, Jadeja ventured into cricket commentary and even served as head coach of Delhi team in 2015-16 season, but quit the role just a fortnight after being appointed into it.
Afghanistan, captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi, will open its 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup campaign against Bangladesh at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on October 7.
(With IANS Inputs)