Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar celebrated his 55th birthday on Sunday (July 12) at his local residence in Mumbai. Greetings and wishes from different parts of the cricketing world kept pouring in for Manjrekar on social media.
Manjrekar made his debut for India in 1987. For a career spanning over a decade, he donned Indian jersey in 37 Tests, and 74 ODIs. However, he has a far more successful and influential stint as a commentator.
As a batsman, Manjrekar has always been considered as a talented, technically adept batsman who failed to prove his mettle in the international arena.
As the Karnataka-born batsman turned a year older, Lord’s Cricket Ground reshared an insightful video on their YouTube account where Manjrekar picked his all-time XI.
Manjrekar’s team looks absolutely lethal on the paper as it has a perfect blend of fierceness and flamboyance.
Manjrekar picked his compatriot Sunil Gavaskar and Kumar Sangakkara as the opening pair of his team, maintaining the left-right combination. He further stated that Gavaskar was the prime reason he started playing cricket in his younger days.
The cricketer-turned commentator chose the explosive Caribbean batsman Vivian Richards for No. 3 position. Following Richards in the pecking order is Sachin Tendulkar at No. 4 and Brian Lara at No. 5, respectively.
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh sits at No. 6 position. Waugh led Australia to the World Cup triumph in 1999.
Interestingly, Manjrekar picked the legendary Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan as the captain of his team ahead of anyone else.
Malcolm Marshall, Wasim Akram and Sir Richard Hadlee lead the fast-bowling department while Shane Warne is the lone spinner in Manjrekar’s all-time XI.
Here’s Sanjay Manjrekar all-time XI:
Sunil Gavaskar, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Sir Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, Imran Khan (c), Malcolm Marshall, Wasim Akram, Sir Richard Hadlee, Shane Warne.
