India Tour of Australia : Sanjay Manjrekar to return to on air duties during India’s tour Down Under


India Tour of Australia : Sanjay Manjrekar to return to on air duties during India’s tour Down Under

manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar is all set to return to the commentator’s box during the India-Australia series. Manjrekar is a noted personality in the commentators’ fraternity. But has been away from the on-air duties since March after he was sacked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The news was confirmed after he didn’t travel to Dharamsala for the opening ODI during the India-South Africa ODI series.

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Many speculated Manjrekar’s return to the commentators’ box during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 but that was not the case. The former India batter even wrote twice to the governing body to reinstate him in the panel but the board decided against it. The BCCI has yet to reveal the official reason behind the sacking.

Cricket Australia holds the hosting rights

Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia logo

For the India tour of Australia, Cricket Australia holds the hosting rights. And hence BCCI doesn’t have a say about who appears in the commentary panel and any other decision. Manjrekar will feature in the star-studded commentary panel which also features the likes of Glenn McGrath, Nick Knight, Harsha Bhogle, Ajay Jadeja, Murali Kartik and Ajit Agarkar.

Although the reason behind Manjrekar’s sacking is not clear yet, it might be possible that his controversial statements on-air are what led to it. During the 2019 World Cup in England, Manjrekar had called Ravindra Jadeja a “bits-and-pieces” player. This statement of his sparked a storm on social media. Even Jadeja himself made a unique gesture for him after his explosive knock of 77 against New Zealand in the semifinal of the tournament. Later in November 2019, he went on to question renowned commentator Bhogle’s credentials on the air.

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India’s tour of Australia kicks off with a three-match ODI series from November 27. Following the ODIs, the two stalwarts will square off in three T20Is which will be followed by a four match Test series

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