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Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was recently trolled for his comments on a show, during which he stated that he had a problem with Ravichandran Ashwin being termed an all-time great.
According to Sanjay Manjrekar, Ashwin is a good bowler, but cannot be termed an all-time great due to his record in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries, where he doesn’t have a five-for.
To be fair to the former India batsman, he was only stating his opinion, but in today’s social media world, everything gets amplified. In the wake of the backlash, Sanjay Manjrekar posted a tweet clarifying his stand and wrote:
"All-time great’ is the highest praise & acknowledgement given to a cricketer. Cricketers like Don Bradman, Sobers, Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Virat etc are all-time greats in my book. With due respect, Ashwin not quite there as an all-time great yet. #AllTimeGreatExplained.”
Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar and Ashwin engaged in some fun banter on social media over the topic, which was great to see.
When Sanjay Manjrekar made interesting observations
Sanjay Manjrekar is known as someone who speaks his mind in a blunt manner. His ‘honest’ comments have not always gone down well with players and fans.
We look at three past instances before the Ashwin incident.
#3 Nothing much to rave about Rangana Herath
In a column for The Week in February 2018, Sanjay Manjrekar opined that he doesn’t rate former Sri Lankan leg-spinner Rangana Herath too highly.
Although Herath claimed over 400 wickets in his Test career, according to Sanjay Manjrekar, the numbers were misleading.
He countered in his column:
“There was nothing in the way Herath bowled in the India-Sri Lanka series that made me feel I was watching a great bowler in action. As a left-arm spinner, Rangana Herath has a decent bowling action and he is accurate, but beyond that there isn’t much to rave about. He barely uses two fingers on the seam, so does not impart much spin. If at all, he undercuts the ball and sends it like a frisbee into the air. Slim chance the ball will carry any surprises for the batsmen.
“Until the age of 35, Herath had average numbers to suggest he was, at best, a good international bowler. But, he has got a staggering 200 Test wickets after crossing 35. So, was this a case of him getting better with age or circumstances that enabled him to achieve these exceptional numbers? I think it’s the latter.”
The 55-year-old concluded the piece by stating:
“I ran this piece by one of these ‘stats nerds’ and he thinks there is only an 11 per cent chance that people will like it.”
And the prediction was right, as there was a lot of backlash for Sanjay Manjrekar on social media.
#2 When Sanjay Manjrekar was rude towards Harsha Bhogle
During the pink-ball Test between India and Bangladesh in Kolkata in November 2019, commentators Harsha Bhogle and Sanjay Manjrekar had a lengthy debate on the visibility of the ball.
Bhogle opined that a post-mortem must be done of the pink-ball Test and players should be asked for their views on the visibility of the ball. Sanjay Manjrekar, though, suggested there was no problem with the visibility of the pink ball and added that he knows it because he has played international cricket, while Bhogle hasn’t.
Responding to Bhogle’s comments on a review of the pink-ball Test over the visibility factor, Sanjay Manjrekar said:
"Don't think so (it is needed). Because when you see the slip catchers the way they have taken catches, I don't think visibility is an issue at all. The texture of the ball is the issue."
"We just need to ask the players what they think," replied Bhogle.
To this, Sanjay Manjrekar added in a somewhat rude tone:
"You need to ask, for those who have played cricket, it's evident it can be seen well."
Sanjay Manjrekar was again criticized on social media for his unprofessional behavior towards Bhogle.
At the end of the year, Sanjay Manjrekar admitted that he was wrong to get into the spat with Bhogle. He clarified on ESPNCricinfo's videocast:
"With that particular comment, it was me losing control and I was unprofessional, I was wrong. It is something that I regret, it was wrong of me so that is what really bothers me that I let my emotions get the better of me.
"So mostly being unprofessional and to an extent indecent as well. First thing that I did was apologise to the producers because I was wrong. People who have read my book know that I have actually made plea for production companies to have good commentators, doesn't matter whether they have played cricket or not," added Sanjay Manjrekar.
#1 When Sanjay Manjrekar termed Ravindra Jadeja a bits and pieces player
During the 2019 World Cup, Sanjay Manjrekar stirred a major controversy when he claimed that he was not a fan of ‘bits and pieces’ players like Ravindra Jadeja.
The comments did not go down well with the all-rounder, who took to Twitter to lash out at the Indian commentator, asking him to respect people.
Jadeja wrote:
"Still I have played twice the number of matches you have played and I m still playing. Learn to respect ppl who have achieved.i have heard enough of your verbal diarrhoea. @sanjaymanjrekar."
After Jadeja’s fabulous 77 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, Sanjay Manjrekar admitted that the all-rounder had proved him wrong. According to the commentator, Jadeja 'ripped him' apart by bits and pieces.
ICC’s Twitter account posted a video of Sanjay Manjrekar having a chat with Niall O'Brien and Ian Smith.
The former India cricketer is heard admitting:
"By bits 'n' pieces of sheer brilliance, he's ripped me apart on all fronts. This is the Jadeja we haven't seen before. Today he was brilliant today. I have to apologise to him (Ravindra Jadeja), he was looking for me but I wasn't there. I was in the lounge taking my lunch, I'm sorry."
Despite Jadeja’s brilliance, India went on to lose the semi-final by 18 runs and were knocked out of the World Cup. However, the all-rounder had proved beyond doubt that he was no bits and pieces cricketer.
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