Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Test cricketer-turned-commentator, has reacted to his omission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) commentary panel.
“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,” Manjrekar wrote on his Twitter timeline on Sunday.
Manjrekar, a regular fixture in the BCCI’s panel of commentators for more than a decade, has been ousted from the panel.
There has been speculation over the possible reasons for his exclusion.
No comment
While BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had, after the IPL Governing Council meeting on Saturday, declined to react to Manjrekar’s omission, the latter’s tweet in a way puts an end to the controversy over his eviction from the commentary box, starting with India’s ODI series against South Africa, which was put off due to COVID-19 after the opener at Dharamshala was washed out.
Controversies
Manjrekar, a TV presenter and commentator for more than two decades, had been embroiled in quite a few controversies. India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja blasted Manjrekar after being referred to as a “bits and pieces cricketer” by the latter on air during last year’s World Cup.
While Manjrekar retracted his statement, he continued to be in the news for the wrong reasons.
Last November, during the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh, Manjrekar made a derogatory remark at fellow commentator Harsha Bhogle.
Manjrekar had stressed on “10-15 years of First Class cricket” experience to express views on the visibility of the ball under lights. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo later on, Manjrekar not only apologised for his remark but also admitted 2019 was “the worst year for me as an analyst and commentator”.
.png?w=600)
