OTD 1965: Sanjay Manjrekar was born

Renowned today more for his contributions to the broadcasting world and his recognisable voice in commentary, Sanjay Manjrekar’s playing career is not as often spoken of in the same breath. The son of former Indian cricketer Vijay Manjrekar, who was one of the finest batters of India’s early Test cricket history. His lineage meant that a lot rested on the younger Manjrekar’s shoulders, coming off the back of a storied cricketing legacy.

A product of Mumbai’s famed school of batsmanship, Manjrekar broke out with the same elegance often associated with his father. With a pedigree to score big and play long innings, he made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 1985, coming off significant success in age-group cricket. After a slow start, it took him two years to notch up his maiden century against Baroda. He scored one more century for Mumbai that season, and then scored a mammoth 278 runs from 376 balls for West Zone in the same year.

On the back of his form in the domestic circuit, an international debut came calling soon against the hostile West Indies in 1987. He was unable to make an early mark in the Indian side, making his first half-century against New Zealand in an ODI match in December 1988. The following year, Manjrekar notched up his maiden Test century against the Windies in Bridgetown, Barbados, scoring a magnificent 108 against a hostile bowling attack of Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop. Despite this, India were unable to get the win in the game, with the Windies chasing down 196 in the final innings.

The 1989 series against Pakistan in November of that year is more often remembered for the debut of the young and prodigious Sachin Tendulkar, aged just 16, but it was his Mumbai teammate Manjrekar who was the star of the show. The four-match Test series was probably his career high as he scored 569 runs in seven innings, averaging 94.83 and striking at 46.52. He also scored three half-centuries and two centuries, which included a mammoth 218, his highest score in international cricket. He scored a valiant 113 in the fourth innings of the first Test, helping India secure a draw. The historic series ended 0-0, but showed glimpses of Manjrekar at his best.

Manjrekar kept drifting around the Indian setup, scoring one more Test century against Zimbabwe in 1192. He made his final appearance for India in November 1996 against South Africa and announced his retirement in 1997 after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, with a game against Australia for Mumbai being his final match. He retires as a fine first-class batter, scoring 10252 runs in 147 matches, averaging 55.11, and scoring 31 centuries. His Test career was not as lofty, scoring 2043 runs in 37 games, averaging 37.14. He has also played 74 ODIs for India, scoring 1994 runs at an average of 33. Post his playing career, Manjrekar found success as a renowned broadcaster, and despite finding himself in controversies with his commentary, has become one of the most recognisable voices in the cricket fraternity.

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