Earlier this week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has removed commentator Sanjay Manjrekar from its panel after he copped up severe criticisms for his remarks in recent times. While fans all over the world have condoned the call by BCCI, Chandrakant Pandit has stood up for the Mumbai batsman and has backed his overall nature.
The apex body dropped him from the panel before the start of the recently-postponed ODI series between India and South Africa. The decision went unnoticed because the first ODI in Dharamsala got washed out. According to Mumbai Mirror, Sanjay Manjrekar was not in Dharamsala while all the other BCCI panel commentators, including Sunil Gavaskar, L Sivaramakrishnan and Murali Kartik were present.
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While Sanjay Manjrekar in a tweet accepted the decision, Chandrakant Pandit, who knows Manjrekar from childhood said that the latter is upfront right from the onset. Not only has Pandit played alongside Manjrekar for Mumbai, but also the pair represented themselves in the national side.
“I know him since childhood. He’s not a man who can bring harm. He’s a straightforward person, which is something I always admired about him. A person who tells you the truth on your face is never liked by anybody. As a commentator, he has to sometimes say things which may not be liked by all. He can’t say things that please, please people, just to keep his job,” Chandrakant Pandit told Times of India.
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Furthermore, Chandrakant Pandit urged BCCI to rethink its decision and that the inputs given by the commentators are not only helpful to the youngsters but also the coaches assisting the players.
“Sanjay isn’t against anybody. I don’t want to blame anybody for his removal, but I request the board to have a rethink about its decision. I’m saying this because all the commentators give inputs about the game which are beneficial to not only young cricketers but also coaches like us.” he concluded.
