IPL 2020: Sanjay Manjrekar Reacts After Being Snubbed From Commentary Panel, Says 'English Is Often Misunderstood'

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has broken his silence after omitted from the commentary panel for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former cricketer-turned-commentator was a part of the panel since the inaugural edition of the league in 2008.

But earlier this year in March, he was sacked by the BCCI from its commentary panel just before the home ODI series against South Africa. The series was eventually postponed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Sanjay Manjrekar later tried to persuade BCCI to re-hire him but the board has decided against it.

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And it looks like Sanjay Manjrekar has still not moved on from the snub. In a recent interview, he stated that it would be better if he didn’t speak on the matter before revealing that he has his hands full during the IPL.

“It is better I don’t comment on that. I will be working full-time with ESPNCricinfo for their pre-match and post-match shows. I am also in the final stages of discussions with a news channel and will be in-house expert for a fantasy league platform. I will also be writing columns plus doing updates for an FM radio station,” he said while speaking to Moneycontrol.

‘My terms are misunderstood’:

Known for his bold comments, Sanjay Manjrekar had faced severe criticism for calling India allrounder Ravindra Jajejda ‘bits and pieces’ cricketer during last year’s World Cup. Towards the end of the year, he also had an on-air spat with fellow commentator Harsha Bhogle.

Speaking about those incidents, Sanjay Manjrekar clarified that the English terms he uses are often misunderstood. He also cited an incident involving former England captain Nasser Hussain to back his statement.

“We, Indians, are very sensitive to criticism. The other problem is that English as a language is often misunderstood. For most people, it is not even the second language. A lot of the terms I tend to use are misunderstood. For example, when I had said that ‘Tendulkar-related’ issues are like the elephant in the room. So, that was a term that was misunderstood,” said Sanjay Manjrekar.

“People thought I was calling him a ‘white elephant’. In the case of ‘bits and pieces’, people thought it was the degradation of a player. So, if I would have said ‘non-specialist’, then I don’t think there would have had been a furore.

“Once Naseer Hussain had called some Indian players ‘donkeys on the field’, which is a normal English term for people who move slowly and there was a big controversy. So, that is one of the problems in making observations in English and assuming that everyone knows,” the 55-year-old added.

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