Image courtesy of: India Times

Jadeja scored 37 in his domestic return

Former India batsman Ajay Jadeja, who was a prolific member of the national team throughout the 1990s, has made his domestic comeback after representing Haryana in a match against Hyderabad in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai.

Jadeja scored 37 runs as Haryana went on to win the match by 67 runs.

Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) secretary Anirudh Chaudhary stated that it was still too early to say whether Jadeja would be given a contract.

“I have spoken to some players there and they have said that having Ajay around has been a learning experience for them,” Chaudhary said. “Ajay has got a busy schedule, and already has a lot of other commitments. We at present are looking at him to mentor a few extremely talented players through different cricketing situations. As far as him playing for Haryana is concerned, it will depend on the selectors and also on Jadeja’s availability.”

The 42-year-old made his first-class debut for Haryana in 1988 and ended up representing India in three World Cups.

He is also the country’s eighth-highest run-scorer in ODIs with 5,359 runs next to his name.

However, his international career was cut short in 2000 after he was slapped with a five-year ban for allegedly being involved in a match-fixing scandal.