Ajay Jadeja, former India star who played a significant role in Afghanistan’s impressive win during the 2023 ODI World Cup chose not to accept any payment for his services, said the CEO of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Naseeb Khan.

Khan shared that the ACB made several attempts to compensate Jadeja, but he turned down their offers each time.

"We insisted multiple times, but Jadeja refused to take any money from the ACB for his services during the 2023 ODI World Cup. His response was, 'If you play well, that's all the money and reward I need'," Khan was quoted as saying by Ariana News.

Hired shortly before the start of the ICC competition in India, Jadeja was a member of the think tank when Afghanistan defeated Pakistan, England, and a formidable Bangladesh until Glenn Maxwell's incredible double century destroyed their dreams of qualifying for the semifinals. 

Jadeja was brought on board as a mentor just before the tournament started in India.

Under his guidance, Afghanistan managed to secure remarkable victories against former world champions England and Pakistan, as well as a strong Bangladesh team.

Their run, however, ended after Glenn Maxwell's extraordinary double century.

The 53-year-old Jadeja had an excellent cricketing career, playing 196 ODIs for India. He scored 5,359 runs at an average of 37.47, including six hundreds and 30 fifties.

In addition to his ODI career, Jadeja represented India in 15 Test matches between 1992 and 2000, accumulating 576 runs at an average of 26.18, with his highest score being 96.

Jonathan Trott, the head coach of Afghanistan during the World Cup, credited Jadeja for the team's outstanding performance, which helped them shed their ‘minnows’ tag.