Reporter: Vinu Joseph
Camera: Sanjoy Deb
“If I’d been born in a family of musicians or film-makers I’d have grown up to be one of them,” writes Sanjay Manjrekar in his autobiography ‘Imperfect’. The retired right-hand batsman – who played over 100 international matches for India – equates his relationship with cricket to what a job is to a professional. And in tandem to his image of being an extremely technical cricketer, he goes on to describe his fascination with “cricketing technique and statistics”.
Over 21 years after he last played for India, Manjrekar has established himself as a cricket expert and TV commentator. Speaking to The Quint ahead of his book release, he recollected how his father – Vijay Manjrekar – never really found a place for himself as an ‘ex-cricketer’ after retiring from the game.
He tried to fit into the cricketing world as an ex-cricketer, as a coach and he struggled a bit. He basically was a lost soul and that was reflected in the way he was at home as a parent.Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar also shared instances of former greats speaking highly of his father.
“A few instances when I thought he was not just a guy playing for India and there was more to Vijay Manjrekar than just being a batsman who averages 39 is when Erapalli Prasanna – one of the greatest off-spinners this game has seen – proclaimed that my father was the best batsman he bowled to on all platforms,” said Manjrekar.
The great MAK Pataudi was another cricket legend, who showered praised on Vijay Manjrekar.
And the other person is Tiger Pataudi, who doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s not diplomatic, he never lies. He said Vijay Manjrekar was the best Indian batsman that he saw. That was really high praise.Sanjay Manjrekar
“That’s when I realised he was an exceptional cricketer and someone who a lot of his contemporaries rated very highly,” he added.
Sanjay Manjrekar – The Test Cricketer
“I am a bit of a fighter, I keep going despite all odds,” said Sanjay talking about Sanjay Manjrekar the cricketer. He recollected two instances from his career. First was his maiden century against West Indies in Barbados.
“The innings before that was my debut innings and I was hit on my eye and I had retired hurt as well. I had stitches in my eye and didn’t play for a while but I came back and got runs against the same fast bowlers in their backyard in Barbados, one of the quicker pitches in West Indies. That shows a bit of my character that I was always somebody who was willing to put himself in the firing line,” he said.
The second was a semi-final match in India’s premier domestic tournament, Ranji Trophy, where he scored a massive 377 against Hyderabad in the sweltering heat of the Wankhede Stadium. “That innings wasn’t so much about the quality of the innings or the shots that I played, it was about just enduring the weather at the time,” he said.
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