# Sanjay Manjrekar
**Sanjay Manjrekar** (full name Sanjay Vijay Manjrekar, born 1965 in Mangalore, Mysore, India) is a former Indian cricketer who played international cricket for India from 1987 to 1996 and later became a commentator and analyst[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php). A right-hand batsman who occasionally bowled right-arm off-break and kept wicket, he was once hailed as a natural successor to the recently retired [Sunil Gavaskar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunil-gavaskar) in taking the Bombay school of batsmanship forward, but did not attain the heights predicted of him[2](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sinned-against-or-sinner-sanjay-manjrekar-s-radical-points-of-view-polarise-opinion-101732614862321.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Mangalore, Mysore, India[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php) |
| Test career | 37 matches, 61 innings, 2,043 runs at 37.14, highest score 218, 4 hundreds, 9 fifties[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php) |
| ODI career | 74 matches, 70 innings, 1,994 runs at 33.23, highest score 105, 1 hundred, 15 fifties[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php) |
| Debut and farewell | Test debut v West Indies, Delhi, 25 November 1987; last Test v South Africa, Ahmedabad, 20 November 1996[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php) |
| Signature innings | 218 against Pakistan at Lahore during the 1989 tour[2](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sinned-against-or-sinner-sanjay-manjrekar-s-radical-points-of-view-polarise-opinion-101732614862321.html) |
| Second career | Commentator and analyst for roughly 20 years, longer than his decade of international play[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/) |
| Memoir | *Imperfect* (Harper Sports), an autobiography covering his difficult relationship with his father, the cricketer Vijay Manjrekar[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/) |
## Playing career
Manjrekar debuted in a five-day Test against the [West Indies](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-indies) at [Feroz Shah Kotla](https://www.edgepedia.org/feroz-shah-kotla), Delhi, on 25 November 1987, and played his first ODI against the same opposition at Rajkot on 5 January 1988[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php). His international career ran almost a decade, ending with a Test against South Africa at Motera, Ahmedabad, on 20 November 1996 and an ODI against South Africa at the [Wankhede Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/wankhede-stadium), Mumbai, on 6 November 1996[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php).
**The 1989 season.** Having warmed up with a century in [Bridgetown](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridgetown) and two strong forties in Kingston in the Caribbean earlier in the year, he was near-impossible to dislodge in Pakistan. Facing [Imran Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/imran-khan), Wasim Akram, Saleem Jaffer, Abdul Qadir and a fiery [Waqar Younis](https://www.edgepedia.org/waqar-younis) in his first series against them, he made scores of 3, 113 not out, 76, 83, 218, 72 and 4 as India under K Srikkanth drew the four-Test series 0-0[2](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sinned-against-or-sinner-sanjay-manjrekar-s-radical-points-of-view-polarise-opinion-101732614862321.html). The 218 at Lahore remains his highest Test score[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php).
**The later record.** He was labeled a perfectionist with an excellent defensive technique, some said obsessed with defense, but the promise of 1989 was not sustained: a solitary century and six fifties in his last 28 Tests left him with an average of 37.14 from 37 games[2](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sinned-against-or-sinner-sanjay-manjrekar-s-radical-points-of-view-polarise-opinion-101732614862321.html). In ODIs he made 1,994 runs at 33.23 with a single hundred, 105, and 15 fifties[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php). He was dismissed most often in Tests by [Merv Hughes](https://www.edgepedia.org/merv-hughes), five times[1](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php). [Sachin Tendulkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sachin-tendulkar), his teammate, nicknamed him Mr Perfect and Mr Different, a reference to his deliberate unconventionality off the field[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/).
## Family and temperament
His father, Vijay Manjrekar, played for India in the 1950s and 1960s. In his autobiography Manjrekar wrote about a difficult relationship with his father and about insecurities picked up at an early age that affected his career; he has said he set the bar too high for himself and, when he quit, held himself responsible rather than blaming anyone else[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/). He has also described himself as a slight misfit in the Indian team culture, where he felt opinions could not be aired openly[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/).
## Commentary and analysis
Manjrekar's commentary career is almost 20 years long, longer than his playing career, and many people in their twenties and thirties know him primarily as a commentator[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/). He is regarded as one of the most outspoken experts on the game, and his own Twitter bio reads, "Longer career talking cricket than playing cricket, shows which is easier"[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/sanjay-manjrekar-if-cricketers-think-that-our-opinion-can-change-their-future-they-are-mistaken/articleshow/74286103.cms).
**2019 controversies.** He has called 2019 the worst year of his career as an analyst and commentator. During the 2019 World Cup he described [Ravindra Jadeja](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravindra-jadeja) as a "bits and pieces player", drawing a heated public rebuttal from Jadeja; he was also involved in an on-air exchange with fellow commentator [Harsha Bhogle](https://www.edgepedia.org/harsha-bhogle), and reports said the BCCI removed him from its IPL commentary panel[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/sanjay-manjrekar-if-cricketers-think-that-our-opinion-can-change-their-future-they-are-mistaken/articleshow/74286103.cms) • [5](https://www.wisden.com/series/indian-premier-league-2020/cricket-news/bcci-sanjay-manjrekar-reports-axed-commentary-ipl). He has argued that former cricketers do not automatically make better commentators, calling commentary a talking skill, and that players should not believe commentators' opinions can change their futures[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/sanjay-manjrekar-if-cricketers-think-that-our-opinion-can-change-their-future-they-are-mistaken/articleshow/74286103.cms).
His analysis continues to draw both agreement and criticism. He has publicly dissected batting techniques of leading players, including [Virat Kohli](https://www.edgepedia.org/virat-kohli) and [Rohit Sharma](https://www.edgepedia.org/rohit-sharma), and his comments have polarized opinion among fans and players[2](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sinned-against-or-sinner-sanjay-manjrekar-s-radical-points-of-view-polarise-opinion-101732614862321.html).
## Writing
His memoir *Imperfect* (Harper Sports) was published in December 2017. He has said the book exists because he remained in the limelight through television, and that his over-analysis, a negative quality as a cricketer, became a strength as a commentator[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/).
## References
1. [Sanjay Manjrekar, Stats Spider, Cricket Web](https://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/589136.php)
2. [Sinned against, or sinner? Sanjay Manjrekar's radical points of view polarise opinion, Hindustan Times, 26 November 2024](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sinned-against-or-sinner-sanjay-manjrekar-s-radical-points-of-view-polarise-opinion-101732614862321.html)
3. [Success for me is in fine print and failure is in bold: Sanjay Manjrekar, The Indian Express, 4 February 2018](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sanjay-manjrekar-book-imperfect-5050563/)
4. [Sanjay Manjrekar: If cricketers think that our opinion can change their future, they are mistaken, Times of India, 25 February 2020](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/sanjay-manjrekar-if-cricketers-think-that-our-opinion-can-change-their-future-they-are-mistaken/articleshow/74286103.cms)
5. [BCCI remove Sanjay Manjrekar from commentary panel – report, Wisden](https://www.wisden.com/series/indian-premier-league-2020/cricket-news/bcci-sanjay-manjrekar-reports-axed-commentary-ipl)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Cricket › Cricket people and teams › People › Men's international cricketers › Indian men's cricketers › Indian cricketers of the 1980s and 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license