Ajay Jadeja famously worked with the Afghanistan men's team in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 without charging them any money. Almost a year later, he has revealed why.
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Jadeja received a lot of plaudits when it came to public knowledge that the former Indian cricketer helped the Afghans in their rather worth-remembering World Cup in India where they defeated former world champions, Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka.
Ajay Jadeja reveals why he mentored Afghanistan cricket team for free
In a recent interview with RevSportz, it came to light that the Afghanistan captain, as told by Jadeja, called the former India international for help, considering the familiarity he has with the conditions at home.
“You don’t ask for money from people who don’t really have money to give you. But all that apart, it was not something I did for money. I got a call from a player, Rashid [Khan], and he asked me if I could help them," said Jadeja.
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“Maybe he did not get anyone else and reached out to me. Jonathan Trott was the coach, and my role would be a limited one. I saw it as an opportunity to help a fantastic bunch of cricketers. A group that loves to play the sport. The truth is I would treat myself as fortunate if I was able to make a difference. There was no hesitation in accepting the request,” he added.
'They don't know how good they are' says Ajay Jadeja
Further speaking on Afghanistan's rise in form in the last 12 months, Jadeja said, "When you meet these cricketers, you will know how good they are. But the thing with them is they don’t know this at times. They don’t know what all they can do. How good they are. The job was simple. From a position where they felt it was good enough to just be there and compete, to telling them they could beat the best.
"This was the difference we tried to make. To instil the belief that they were as good and could beat the very best. Once they realised this, the job was done. What I can also tell you is they are great ambassadors for the sport and deserve all the success finally coming their way.”
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