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Cricket over food!
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Former Test cricketer and currently skipper of Rajasthan, the dashing Ajay Jadeja shares his passion for the game and the food
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WOOING SANTA Ajay Jadeja in a merry mood at Crowne Plaza Surya's Le Café restaurant PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA
It is still four minutes to seven on a cold winter evening but Ajay Jadeja, bright and sprightly, is already here. He has more than kept his appointment at Crowne Plaza Surya's Le Café. "You become punctual when you play a team sport. On a tour if you are late, you miss the bus," Jadeja enlightens. Well, he almost missed the bus. That is after almost a decade of playing for India, he found himself in cricket wilderness for a couple of years due to the ban imposed on him for his alleged role in match fixing.
As he helps himself to the soup of the day, Jadeja refuses to wallow in self-pity. "Those were the brightest years of my life. I got married. My child was born. I learnt more about life. I started doing some TV work and got into films thanks to Suniel Shetty. I looked at films as a great opportunity. There was only cricketing disappointment."
Now, even that disappointment is part of the fading pages of history. Sitting at the table in the middle of the restaurant, not too far from the Xmas tree, and a couple of steps from the Santa Claus statue on the buffet table, Jadeja is looking ahead. He is enjoying captaining Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy this year. And is happy to be part of Channel 7's hunt for a speedster in the land of medium pacers. Incidentally, Scorpio Speedster, a seven-episode series for the fastest bowler has just been launched after an exhaustive search for the best from thousands of aspirants across 10 cities.
Salad time
Helping himself to some fresh salad, Jadeja says, "I played for Delhi for the past two years and led them last year. But there was not much I could have given. I can contribute more to Rajasthan. The response is better. Professionalism is coming into the sport."
Perking up with a rich variety of chaat on the table, including Amritsari chaat, Chicken chaat to go with Chicken Hawain Salad, Jadeja decides to expose a few myths. "There is no money in cricket. There is money in BCCI. Till two years ago, a first class cricketer used to get Rs.200 per playing day, and there were just seven matches in a year! Now it is up to Rs.4000 a day. But that is only for about 25 days a year! Everybody talks of Tendulkar being so rich. But he gets only Rs.50 lakhs per year, a CEO of a big company gets much more. Anybody who has brains will not play cricket."
Enough of swipes at the establishment, and Jadeja lapses into the familiar: "You are only remembered by your success. What you do on the cricket field can never be taken away." If there is a reference to the match fixing scandal, he does well to hide it. Instead, he focuses ahead. "You don't have to be part of any association to be on TV. I am happy to be with Channel 7 and be involved with this Speedster challenge. In fact, this hunt for the fastest bowler is a great platform for any guy. When we had the initial round at the National Stadium, there were queues up to the High Court! Now, finally seven guys are there. One of them was called to Chennai and Greg Chappell had a word with him. We have got Wasim Akram for the final round to be completed early next year. He devised further tests. Remember Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee play for the same, but the former is more useful to the team."
Good cook
The staff offers grilled fish and lemon butter sauce. Jadeja has a bite, relishes the fare. Meanwhile, T- Steak and Pepper Mushroom sauce waits for attention. The former India cricketer cannot help revealing, "I eat anything. I am addicted to food. I really love local food. In Jaipur I eat the local food, just as I would in Delhi. I like everything, Mexican, Chinese, Continental, whatever."
Incidentally, this open-mind to food came about with years of international travelling. "When I played in England I learnt how to make dal-sabzi and meat, but making rotis has always been tricky."
As he wipes off another dish, this time it is Chocolate Mousse, Jadeja says, "Some day when the mood overtakes me I might make coffee for my wife, who I am sure, does not quite know where the kitchen is!"
His professional responsibilities taken care of, a few personal notes shared, it is time to enjoy life, embrace the goodies brought by Santa Claus.
Ever the sport, Jadeja offers his to Santa! Christmas is all but here, the New Year is not too far off. Ajay Jadeja is ready to embrace life again. The staff hints one cannot go beyond at a point at the 92-cover restaurant. Then retreats. Jadeja cannot help winking, "There are great advantages of being Ajay Jadeja". Indeed.
ZIYA US SALAM
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