Top 3 batting performances of Sanjay Manjrekar in ODIs 

Sanjay Manjrekar for the past three decades has been one of the biggest voices behind the microphone. While some of his opinions can cause a divide and debate amongst the fans, the man was also an accomplished cricketer in his own right. 

Son of former Indian star Vijay Manjrekar, young Sanjay was hailed as the next big batting hope from Mumbai (then Bombay). What started as a hugely promising beginning, Sanjay Manjrekar couldn’t hold his own as he struggled on occasions. 

In a career which spanned nearly a decade, Sanjay Manjrekar played 37 Test and 74 ODI matches. By the time he retired, he was just 31 before he donned the role of a commentator. In the 74 ODI matches Sanjay Manjrekar played he scored 1994 runs with one ton and 15 half-centuries with an average of 33 and also picked one single wicket. 

Here are the top 3 performances by Sanjay Manjrekar in ODI cricket

3- 72 vs Pakistan – Sharjah 1991 

India vs Pakistan matches are always special and the ones played in Sharjah were more tilted toward the Pakistani’s favor. In one of the rare Indian wins over their arch-rivals, Sanjay Manjrekar played a huge role. The right-handed batter scored 72 runs from 93 balls with 3 fours. India managed to reach 238 runs with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 52 off 40 balls. Pakistan lost by 60 runs as they were all out for 178 runs with Javed Miandad scoring 61. 

2- 82 vs England – Leeds -1990 

Team India had defeated a strong England side in a three match ODI series during their 1990 tour. The first ODI which was played at Leeds saw the home team score 229 from their 55 overs. Allan Lamb and David Gower had scored half-centuries for their side. Chasing 230 to win, the Indian chase saw WV Raman fall early for a duck. Sanjay Manjrekar then took charge as he scored 82 runs from 133 balls while skipper Azharuddin smashed 55 not out from 50 balls to help India win by 6 wickets. 

1- 105 vs South Africa -New Delhi -1991

 The only ODI ton for Sanjay Manjrekar came during an ODI versus South Africa in a losing effort. This was the first series for the South Africans post their re-entry into cricket. Kris Srikkanth got the team moving with 53 runs from 61 balls and added 86 for the 1st wicket with Ravi Shastri. Sanjay Manjrekar soon joined as he added a further 175 runs with Shastri and in the process recorded his maiden ODI ton. Sanjay Manjrekar was out for 105 off 82 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes as India scored 287 from their 50 overs with Ravi Shastri scoring 109. South Africa won the match thanks to the trio of half-centuries by Kepler Wessels, Peter Kirsten, and Adrian Kuiper. 

Also read: Top 3 batting performances of Shaun Marsh in ODIs