Sanjay Manjrekar axed from commentary panel: IPL 2020

By Senior Writer

Posted on September 18, 2020

Sanjay Manjrekar axed from commentary panel: IPL 2020

Where on the other hand, the super cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is ready and steady to lock horns by 19th September in a full-fledge, on the other hand, the masses will be missing the commentary of Sanjay Manjrekar.

The former Indian cricket player and the commentator has been ruled out by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) after his numerous statements have been found controversial.

Sanjay believes that English is such a language that could be easily misunderstood and what is said does not actually mean the same. Citing Nasser Hussain’s example, he cleared himself for his comment on Bumrah’s bowling as he called him “bits and pieces”. He also cleared that when once he used a term elephant, he does not mean to hint at Dhoni directly.

However, he has refused to make further comments on the scenario and will be working with several sporting sites – writing columns, updates on FM, etc.

Sanjay Manjrekar axed from commentary panel: IPL 2020

“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 an 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.

“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 a 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.

“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 furor.

“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 Sanjay Manjrekar added.