NEW DELHI, May 31: Former India batsman Ajay Jadeja played his first competitive game in three years after a court hearing his appeal against a match-fixing ban permitted him to play domestic cricket.

Jadeja’s appearance in a local tournament on Saturday alongside some other former India players drew hundreds of fans to the ground and a large number of domestic media.

“I am happy and relieved to be able to play again,” said Jadeja, who said he still hoped to make an India comeback.

Jadeja was banned for five years from all cricket by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in December 2000, along with three other players, following a police investigation into corruption in the game.

But Jadeja, 32, contested the punishment in the Delhi High Court which last Wednesday gave him permission to play domestic games until the case was decided.

In January, a court-appointed arbitrator overturned Jadeja’s ban and ruled that the India board’s internal probe was illegal.

The BCCI has filed its objections to the ruling with the next hearing set for July 8.

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma were banned for life over match-fixing, while all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar was suspended for five years. All four players have denied any wrongdoing.—Reuters