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. Shatrusalyasinhji is the cousin of Ajay's father. He 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.
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.’
"I saw a direct and living example of our deep people-to-people ties yesterday. I had the privilege of paying tribute at the memorial of Maharaja of Kolhapur. I am happy that even today the people of Poland respect his philanthropy and generosity. To immortalise his memory, we are going to start the Jam Saheb Nawanagar Youth Action Program between India and Poland. Every year, 20 young people from Poland will be taken on a visit to India," he had said after the visit.
Ajay Jadeja was born into the erstwhile Nawanagar royal family, but he found his calling in cricket. His career spanned from 1992 to 2000, and he played 15 Test matches and 196 ODIs for India. He 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.
His father, Daulatsinhji Jadeja, was elected thrice from the Jamnagar Lok Sabha constituency.
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.