The maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Nawanagar, known as Jamnagar, in Gujarat, has declared his nephew and former cricketer Ajay Jadeja as his heir to the throne on the auspicious day of Dussehra on Saturday.

The 53-year-old cricketer, who played 196 ODIs and 15 test matches for India between 1992 and 2000, is a descendant of the Jamnagar royal family.

Maharaja of Jamnagar Shatrusalyasinh Jadeja is the cousin of Daulatsinghji Jadeja, the cricketer's father, a three-time Member of Parliament from Jamnagar from 1971 to 1984.

"The festival of Dussehra is believed to mark the day the Pandavas emerged victorious from exile. Today, on Dussehra, I am equally happy, as I have found a resolution to one of my dilemmas thanks to Ajay Jadeja, who has accepted to be my heir," Maharaja Jamsaheb, as he is popularly called, declared in a statement.

"Ajay Jadeja taking up the responsibility of serving the people of Jamnagar is truly a boon for its people. I express my sincere gratitude to him," he said.

Maharaja Shatrusalyasinhji was also a cricketer who captained Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy in 1966-67 and served as the head of the Saurashtra Cricket Association.

He was made the titular head of Nawanagar on February 3, 1966, after his father's death, and was married to a member of the Nepal royal family whom he later divorced.

The family are descendants of legendary cricketer Ranjitsinh Jadeja, who ruled Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933.

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