After successful Afghanistan stint, India star Ajay Jadeja expresses desire to become Pakistan coach

The former Indian cricket player Ajay Jadeja gave a positive response when asked if he would consider coaching the Pakistani team. Presently acting as the Afghanistan national team's mentor, Jadeja said that he would be open to taking on the role.

3 things you need to know

• Ajay Jadeja speaks about coaching Pakistan Team
• Jadeja mentored the Afghanistan team that put on an impressive show in World Cup 2023
• Afghanistan finished 6th on the league stage

Also Read | Sreesanth's wife hits back at Gautam Gambhir

Ajay Jadeja on whether he would be willing to become Pakistan's coach

Ajay Jadeja was a vital member of Afghanistan's coaching staff during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which greatly improved the team's performance. Afghanistan's current head coach Jonathan Trott and team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi both credited Jadeja for having a significant influence on the team's successful World Cup campaign.

“I am ready. I shared my learnings with Afghans and I believe Pakistan were once like Afghanistan. You could say anything you wanted to in the face of your teammate,” the 52-year-old said during a conversation with Sports Tak.

Afghanistan eradicated the stigma of being underdogs in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Coming into the competition, the rising Asian cricketing giants had only one victory to showcase, but the 2023 camp proved to be unlike their past participations. This time the team attained 4 victories in the round-robin stage, and in the process defeated previous WC winners like Pakistan and England. They got close to beating Australia as well, but the brilliance of Glenn Maxwell came in the way to rescue the Aussies. With this impressive outing, Afghanistan have earned the Champions Trophy 2025 berth, and a bright future is seemingly in store for AFG.

Also Read | ICC unveils new logos for T20 World Cup 2024

Ajay Jadeja's career in a nutshell

Ajay Jadeja was an active member of the Indian side from 1992 to 2000. He even led the national team on occasions but his career took a major blow in 2000 when he was accused of match-fixing. A lifetime ban was initially issued by the BCCI, but it was eventually lowered to five years. He was liberated from the banishment in 2003, but following that he was unable to get back into the national team reckoning.