‘North ke players ke saath…’: Sanjay Manjrekar sparks controversy with stereotype remark, faces ‘Mumbai lobby’ criticism
New Delhi: Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Indian and Mumbai cricketer who has transitioned into a commentator and media personality, has once again faced backlash for his remarks during a live broadcast.
Recognized for his forthright views on Indian cricket, Manjrekar encountered backlash during his commentary for India’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opener against New Zealand on Friday.
Still serving as a commentator for the Hindi broadcast team, the panel was discussing Munish Bali-the fielding coach for the women’s unit, who had moved over from his position with the U-19 men’s unit.
While Manjrekar’s commentary partner highlighted Bali’s background as a former cricketer for Punjab prior to his coaching role, Manjrekar interjected: “Sorry, meine unko pehechana nahin. North ke players ke saath mere zyaada dhyaan nahin hota. (Sorry, I didn’t recognize him. I am not too aware of players from the North.)”
Fans lambasted the comments saying his views indicate thoughtlessness towards cricketers from other states and lack of a perception of India women’s status in the World Cup. The attack is further compounded by the fact that the team’s skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, hails from Punjab.
Fans swiftly condemned the former Mumbai batter for what they perceived as a biased opinion expressed during the broadcast.
I’ve no interest in North Indian Cricketers
– Sanjay Manjrekar
https://t.co/ND7ilqsVZi— Gaurav (@Melbourne__82) October 4, 2024
PATHETIC. SHOULD BE SACKED IMMEDIATELY https://t.co/YUakKqahm3
— तपिश सिंह (@sinhatapish) October 5, 2024
@BCCI why Sanjay Manjrekar is even in the commentary panel. Why he can’t do proper research and seriously embarrass himself
— Ajay (@ajay_gandhar) October 5, 2024
Sanjay Manjrekar said, “I don’t pay much attention to players from the North.”
Mumbai Lobby is a real thing!!
— abhay singh (@abhaysingh_13) October 5, 2024
From Patiala, Munish Bali is a very seasoned coach in Indian cricket and has earlier coached Punjab’s age group teams. He had some international exposure while coaching the 2008 U-19 World Cup-winning team; that was an incredible fielding side, which had Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Manish Pandey in it. Bali also supported the deputy to Rahul Dravid when the latter was VVS Laxman and in that instance, he was the fielding coach in tours of Ireland and New Zealand.
Fans were looking forward to the fact that someone like Manjrekar, selected for the commentary panel of World Cup, would have a better grasp of an experienced and influential personality like Bali within the Indian camp.
Manjrekar has been taken to task for many of his comments on-air, including a thoughtless one he delivered regarding co-commentator Harsha Bhogle as India toured Australia in 2019, for which he eventually apologized for his unprofessional conduct. Recently, he was denounced for handling a special occasion very indelibly when conducting the toss for an IPL match involving Rajasthan Royals.
India faced a disappointing 58-run defeat against New Zealand in Dubai, with their batting lineup struggling during the chase, as no player managed to score over 15 runs. With qualification from the group being crucial, the team will be eager to make a strong comeback in their pivotal match against Pakistan.