The year 2019 didn’t go well for Sanjay Manjrekar as a commentator and analyst. The 54-year old had called 2019 the worst year of his career. But 2020 has turned out to be even worse for the commentator. Manjrekar was not the part of commentary team in India vs South Africa 1st ODI match at Dharamshala.
Sanjay Manjrekar Responds
Now according to reports, BCCI has removed Manjrekar from its commentary panel. However, India vs South Africa series has been called-off due to coronavirus outbreak. The report further states that Manjrekar will not be a part of the commentary team in the upcoming edition of IPL. The league was set to start from 29th March but has been postponed till 15 April.
Now the recent tweet of Manjrekar has made the things clear. Manjrekar said that BCCI was not happy with him which led them to take this decision. He tweeted, “I have always considered commentary as a great privilege, but never an entitlement. It is up to my employers whether they choose to have me or not & I will always respect that. Maybe BCCI has not been happy with my performance of late. I accept that as a professional,”
I have always considered commentary as a great privilege, but never an entitlement. It is up to my employers whether they choose to have me or not & I will always respect that. Maybe BCCI has not been happy with my performance of late. I accept that as a professional.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) March 15, 2020
Sanjay Manjrekar’s commentary career is full of controversial comments. During the 2019 World Cup, he became a subject of criticism after calling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja bits and pieces player. However, later he got the reply from Jadeja himself. The all-rounder responded tweeting, “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,”
He was also involved in an on-air argument with Harsha Bhogle. Bhogle gave his point of view over the visibility of the pink ball. The veteran commentator said that it would be prudent to ask the players about their opinions on the visibility issue. But Manjrekar showed disagreement to the statement. Manjrekar took a rude jibe at Bhogle for not having played cricket. He went on to say that he has a good knowledge of cricket as he has played it.