Sanjay Manjrekar, a prominent figure in cricket commentary, celebrated his 60th birthday recently. After retiring from cricket, Manjrekar transitioned into a successful career as a commentator, earning substantial fees for his work in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite his prowess in domestic cricket, he did not achieve the same level of success internationally.
Manjrekar played a crucial role for the Indian team on several occasions. One notable instance was in a Test match in Harare, where he scored a century and helped draw the game after batting for nearly nine hours. This performance came at a time when legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin failed to deliver.
In his autobiography, ‘Imperfect‘, launched in 2018, Manjrekar detailed his cricket career and the reasons behind his early retirement.
Sanjay Manjrekar, in his book, recalled that during Team India’s 1996 tour of England, much was expected from Rahul Dravid. However, it was Sourav Ganguly who initially grabbed the spotlight on that tour. Praising Dravid, Manjrekar wrote that it felt as though he was tailor-made for the Indian team. “When I saw him bat and the way he played, I felt my time was over," he admitted. Manjrekar announced his retirement at the age of 32.
Manjrekar’s technical proficiency was admired by many, with Sachin Tendulkar referring to him as ‘Mr. Different’. He was often compared to Sunil Gavaskar for his technique. Manjrekar played a total of 111 international matches, excelling in terms of technique.
In the Harare Test in 1992, Zimbabwe posted 456 runs in their first innings. The Indian team, led by Azharuddin, struggled initially, losing key players like Ravi Shastri (11), Sachin Tendulkar (0), and Azharuddin (9) early. The Indian team was struggling at 101 for 5, but Manjrekar held firm, batting for nearly nine hours to take the total past 300. He faced 422 deliveries and scored a gritty century. The Test eventually ended in a draw.
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Over his cricket career, Manjrekar played 37 Tests, scoring 2043 runs at an average of 37, including four centuries and seven half-centuries. His highest Test innings was 218 runs. In 74 ODIs, he amassed 1994 runs at an average of 33, with one century and 15 half-centuries. He also scored over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket, totalling 10,252 runs in 147 matches at an average of 55, including 31 centuries and 46 half-centuries.
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