IND v AUS 2020: Sanjay Manjrekar faces heat on Twitter after Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja put up match-winning performances

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar returned to the commentary box for India's tour of Australia 2020-21. BCCI did not name the controversial commentator in the panel for IPL 2020, but Manjrekar got the opportunity to share his views on the India-Australia series.

Before the series got underway, the 55-year-old opined that the Indian cricket team should leave Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja out of the playing XI.

Sanjay Manjrekar believed that playing with specialists would help the visitors perform well in 50-over matches against Australia.

However, skipper Virat Kohli included both Pandya and Jadeja in the lineup. The Indian team did lose the first two ODIs, but the two Gujarat-based all-rounders ensured that the Men in Blue did not suffer a whitewash.

Ravindra Jadeja had an unbeaten 150-run partnership with Hardik Pandya for the sixth wicket in Canberra. Both all-rounders recorded a fifty, while the latter fell short of his maiden ODI hundred by just eight runs. Pandya had scored 90 runs in the first ODI as well.

It is pertinent to note that despite not being 100% fit, Hardik Pandya bowled a few good overs in the second one-dayer, where every Indian bowler struggled against the Aussies.

Also, Ravindra Jadeja scalped a wicket and took a magnificent catch in the third ODI.

With the two all-rounders performing exceptionally well for the Indian cricket team, fans are angry with Sanjay Manjrekar for his controversial opinion.

The commentator had earlier labeled Ravindra Jadeja as a 'bits and pieces' player. The all-rounder preferred to silence the former India player with a brilliant performance on the field and an epic reply on Twitter.

The cricket universe also used the micro-blogging platform to express their disappointment on Sanjay Manjrekar's beliefs after Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja guided India to a memorable win. Here are some of the top tweets.

Twitter lashes out at Sanjay Manjrekar for 'specialists remark'

About the author

Vinay has been working as a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda since 2018. A smart writer, he has a total previous work experience of 8 years working for the likes of Swag Cricket and Fambeat, and believes in thoroughly verifying each and every piece of information before writing any article. His meticulous methods have led him to amass a significant readership of close to 30 million at Sportskeeda, along with winning several awards such as Machine Writer, Top Earning Affiliate, and Perfectionist Writer in his Sportskeeda journey so far.

Vinay’s love for cricket blossomed when playing the sport during school days. Today, he is a staunch supporter of his home IPL side Gujarat Titans and is also the ambassador of franchise’s initiative Race with the Titans. Unsurprisingly, his all-time favorite cricketers also feature from his favorite IPL franchise - Rashid Khan, Matthew Wade, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill.

When not writing, Vinay likes to play cricket and hang out with his friends. Being an industry veteran, his influence goes beyond the sport of cricket and has interviewed several Kabaddi stars such as Mohammad Nabibakhsh, Daniel Odhiambo, Vijay Malik, and Girish Ernak as well. He also is a fan of professional wrestling.

Know More