Sanjay Manjrekar called out for 'racist remark'

Sanjay Manjrekar found himself in hot water after making a controversial remark during Star Sports' Hindi commentary for the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. His comments on India Women's team fielding coach Munish Bali sparked a backlash online, with fans calling for his ouster from the commentary panel.

India Women faced New Zealand Women in Group A clash on October 4 in Dubai. India failed to chase a decent total of 160 runs to endure a humiliating 58-run defeat.

Commentator Manjrekar grabbed headlines during the match with an uncalled-for remark. During the second innings, the camera panned to India's coaching staff and Manjrekar identified head coach Amol Muzumdar and assistant coach Aavishkar Salvi, both from Mumbai.

However, he failed to recognise Munish Bali, the team's fielding coach, who hails from Punjab. Manjrekar casually remarked, Sorry, I don't know him. I don't give much attention to player from the north.''  ("Sorry, main unko pehehchaana nahi. North ke players ki taraf mera zyaada dhyaan nahi hota."

This comment immediately sparked a backlash online, with fans accusing Manjrekar of bias toward cricketers from Mumbai. Not only that, many X users (formerly known as Twitter) called Manjrekar racist and urged ICC to ban him from the commentary panel effective immediately.

The controversy also resurfaced older sentiments regarding the supposed influence of the "Mumbai lobby" in Indian cricket, especially regarding national team selections.