Sanjay Manjrekar will be back in the commentary box during India's upcoming tour of Australia, starting from November 27. Sony Pictures Network – who are the official broadcasters of the three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches – made the news official by announcing the commentary panel for the high-voltage series down under. Earlier in March, the 55-year-old was dropped from BCCI's commentary panel for unknown reasons. He even sought reinstatement ahead of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, but the Sourav Ganguly-led board didn't accept his request. Nevertheless, the former cricketer is set to give his voice in India's upcoming fixture.
Although BCCI didn't give any concrete reason behind Manjrekar's sacking, it was evident that some of his controversial statements didn't impress the board. From infamously calling Ravindra Jadeja a 'bits and pieces' cricketer to involving in a on-air argument with Harsha Bhogle, the former Indian batsman – who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs – found himself in hot water on several occasions. However, Manjrekar has a chance to redeem himself and he'll like to stay away from any negative news this time around.
Speaking of other commentators to feature in the series, Harsha Bhogle, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik and Ajay Jadeja are the four experts alongside Manjrekar to feature in both English and Hindi commentary box. Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag also makes a comeback in the commentary box as he'll present his opinions in Hindi alongside Mohammad Kaif, Vijay Dahiya, Vivek Razdan, Arjun Pandit and Zaheer Khan. Glenn McGrath and Nick Knight are the two English commentators for the series.
Here's The Commentary Panel Announced By Sony Pictures Network!!
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Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's men have pleasant memories from their last assignment down under where they won the ODI and Test series 2-1 while the T20I series ended in a 1-1 tie. However, Steve Smith and David Warner didn't participate in that series due to a one-year ban. Hence, the competition will indeed be more challenging this time around.
Also, Rohit Sharma – who sustained a hamstring injury during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 – is rested from limited-overs squads. At the same time, Kohli – who's expecting his first child in December – will fly back to India after the first Test with Ajinkya Rahane likely to lead India in his absence.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 19, 2020 01:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).