Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja, 53, has been named the heir to the Jamnagar royal throne. He has been declared the next Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, also known as Jamnagar, a princely state in Gujarat.
The news was confirmed by Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Shatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji Jadeja in a letter released on Friday. He said Ajay Jadeja has agreed to take over the throne from him.
The 53-year-old cricketer, who played 196 ODIs and 15 test matches for India between 1992 and 2000, is a descendant of the Jamnagar royal family. Maharaja of Jamnagar Shatrusalyasinh Jadeja is the cousin of Daulatsinghji Jadeja, the cricketer’s father, a three-time Member of Parliament from Jamnagar from 1971 to 1984.
Shatrusalyasinhji was also a cricketer who captained Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy in 1966-67 and served as the head of the Saurashtra Cricket Association. Shatrusalyasinhji was made the titular head of Nawanagar on February 3, 1966, after his father’s death.
“The festival of Dussehra is believed to mark the day the Pandavas emerged victorious from exile. Today, on Dussehra, I am equally happy, as I have found a resolution to one of my dilemmas thanks to Ajay Jadeja, who has accepted to be my heir,” Maharaja Jamsaheb, as he is popularly called, declared in a statement.
“Ajay Jadeja taking up the responsibility of serving the people of Jamnagar is truly a boon for its people. I express my sincere gratitude to him,” he said.
In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had paid his respects at the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, Poland, which honours Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, the former Maharaja known for his humanitarian efforts during World War II, which earned him the moniker, ‘Good Maharaja.’
Ajay Jadeja caught everyone’s eyes with his brilliant fielding and his swag on the field. One can say that cricket was always in his blood—former stalwarts K. Ranjitsinhji and K.S. Duleepsinhji, after whom the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy are named, were his relatives.
Ajay Jadeja also acted in Bollywood films like Khel (2003) and Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat (2009) and took part in the dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. He also made a cameo appearance in Kai Po Che! (2013). He has been active as a cricket commentator, and was the team mentor for the Afghanistan cricket team during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.