Sanjay Manjrekar oddly claims 'Indians have English as 2nd language' behind IPL 2020 snub

Days after the list of IPL commentators was announced for the IPL 2020, Sanjay Manjrekar has now spoken about his exclusion from the panel. The blockbuster commentary panel for the upcoming IPL 2020 was announced on September 14, with several household names such as Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Bishop, Harsha Bhogle amongst others part of the IPL commentators list. While Sanjay Manjrekar has failed to make the cut when it comes to the IPL commentators list, his is also not part of Star Sports' 90- member list of those reporting on-air from India. Notably, Sanjay Manjrekar was not part of the IPL commentators list for any of the languages and has now given odd reasons regarding his exclusion from the list.

Also Read: R Ashwin Turns 34: Delhi Capitals Cricketer's Net Worth, IPL 2020 Salary, House And Family

Sanjay Manjrekar defends IPL 2020 snub

When asked about his absence from the IPL 2020 commentators panel, Sanjay Manjrekar, while speaking to Moneycontrol, hinted that it is better that he doesn’t speak on the topic. Sharing his plans for the IPL schedule, the former cricketer said that he will be working with a leading cricket portal full time for their pre and post-match shows, for which he has featured many times in the past time. Additionally, Sanjay Manjrekar also revealed that he is currently in the final stages of discussion with a news channel, while he will also be an in-house expert for a fantasy league platform. Sanjay Manjrekar’s commitments for the IPL 2020 will also see him writing columns for an Indian FM radio station.

Also Read: IPL 2020: Shane Watson Speechless After Receiving 'beautiful Gift' From CSK; See Picture

Sanjay Manjrekar claims he was misunderstood, makes ‘English second language’ comment

While speaking to Moneycontrol, the analyst curiously claimed that his on-air comments had been misunderstood. Sanjay Manjrekar said that Indians are very sensitive to criticism and claimed that his comments on air were misunderstood by many as English is not even the second language for most people. Sharing an example, Sanjay Manjrekar explained that when he said ‘Tendulkar-related’ issues are like the elephant in the room, people thought he is calling the iconic cricketer a ‘white elephant’. Manjrekar also touched upon the ‘bits and pieces’ controversy, conceding that no one would have reacted if he would have used the term ‘non-specialist’. While concluding, Sanjay Manjrekar also gave an example of a comment made by Nasser Hussain, hinting that cricket fans fail to understand when observations are made in English.

Also Read: Harbhajan Singh Shares 'Modern Thali' With Space For Phone, Netizens 'eager To Order'

Earlier this year, Sanjay Manjrekar was dropped from the commentators panel after the board was not happy with his work, according to media reports. The former cricketer has had his fair share of controversies in the past. In recent times, Sanjay Manjrekar has made headlines for all the wrong reasons after he called Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja a "bits-and-pieces player" during the 2019 World Cup. Manjrekar was also seen getting into a spat on-air with Harsha Bhogle during the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh last year, while he has also irked the fans with his controversial tweets on players like MS Dhoni and KL Rahul.

Also Read: Harbhajan Singh Allegedly Duped Of Rs 4 Crores, Files Complaint With Chennai Police

Image Credits: BCCI