"They found something else to get upset about" - Sanjay Manjrekar's stunning statement on bits-and-pieces controversy involving Ravindra Jadeja

India v England - ICC Men
Sanjay Manjrekar has been working as a commentator since 1990s. [Getty Images]

Former batter Sanjay Manjrekar recently opened up about his controversies involving multiple Team India players. The cricketer-turned-analyst said that the ‘bits and pieces’ comment was taken out of context by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja during the 2019 World Cup.

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The 60-year-old also claimed that he had no idea about fast bowler Mohammad Shami’s fiery response to him on his views regarding his price tag ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. He added that he has learnt not to pay heed to those reactions because they fade after some time.

Speaking to Stalin Mathias on his YouTube channel, Manjrekar said:

“12:34 – (On controversies) I think Jadeja was more misunderstanding, bits and pieces he thought [it] was like a cringe cricketer. I thought he misunderstood that term, and Shami have got no idea. Somebody told me that he reacted, but I have no idea what the reaction was, and that is how I keep it simple, as I said… Yeah, earlier, let’s be honest, I used to get affected by it and try and sort of give my point of view and just try to make things better, but it’s like a Tsunami that comes in and there’s no way you can stop it.”
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"The best thing about these Tsunamis is that these kind of controversies or reactions, I mean, 48 hours later, they found something else to get upset about,” he added.
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Here's how things unfolded:

Manjrekar vs Jadeja episode:

Manjrekar said (via The Times of India):

“I am not a big fan of bits and pieces players, which Jadeja is at this point of his career in 50-over cricket. In Test matches, he is a pure bowler. But in 50-over cricket, I would rather have a batsman and a spinner.”
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Jadeja replied (via X):

“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”
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Manjrekar vs Shami episode:

Manjrekar told Star Sports:

There will definitely be interest from teams, but given Shami's injury history—and this recent one took a significant amount of time to recover—there’s always a concern about a potential breakdown during the season.”
“If a franchise invests heavily and then loses him mid-season, their options become limited. This concern might lead to a drop in his price tag,” he added.
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Shami replied (via Instagram story):

“Baba ki jay hoooooo. Thodasa gyan apne future k lie bhi bacha loo kaam ayega Sanjay G? Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile [Jai to Baba. You should save some knowledge for your future too, it will be useful Sanjay G? If anyone wants to know about the future, meet sir].”
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“Remain fit and continue the good work” – Sanjay Manjrekar’s advice for star India all-rounder

When asked about whether Hardik Pandya will regain India's white-ball captaincy, Sanjay Manjrekar advised him to focus on his consistency as an all-rounder. The veteran cited the example of star players like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, who were known for their core skills. He said in the same video:

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“8:00 – (On Hardik’s chances as India skipper) I believe Hardik Pandya must look to excel as a player with the kind of talent that he has, remain fit and continue the good work that he does and captaincy if it comes or doesn’t come, really doesn’t matter. I mean, when you look back at Tendulkar or Virat Kohli, for that matter, we don’t really look at them as former captains or Tendulkar, the former captain, or Virat Kohli as well.”
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“But there are some who are exceptional captains, and when you think about them, then you think captaincy, and the other things follow, like Dhoni or an Imran Khan. So, yeah, Don Bradman the batter. Nobody knew how good a captain he was. So, I think it’s primarily your performance as an individual and the kind of winning impact that you make,” Manjrekar concluded.

Hardik Pandya currently leads the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. The 31-year-old led the Men in Blue to 10 wins in 16 games as T20I skipper from 2022 to 2023.

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Edited by James Kuanal
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