“And again what a star Harman is!…”- Sanjay Manjarekar the wrath of social media for supporting Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur

New Delhi: Former cricketer turned commenter Sanjay Manjarekar has faced unprecedented backlash on social media owing to his support for the Indian women’s cricket team and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for putting on a brave fight against the 6-time champions the Australian Women’s Team.

Manjarekar’s controversial X (formerly Twitter) post

No other team other than India would have come so close to the big target Aus set on a difficult pitch. I say, well done India!
And again what a star Harman is! 👏👏👏

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 13, 2024

The Women in Blue suffered a catastrophic loss to defending champions Australia. Although mathematically India’s qualification chances are still there, India’s exit from the group stage remains a mere formality. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten fifty but her knock went in vain as the team failed to chase down 14 runs in the final over.

The defeat against Australia has seen an unprecedented outburst from the fans and netizens. People believed that while the Women’s cricket team wanted the same opportunities and payment as the men’s team, there had been no attempt to improve the cricketing standards of women’s cricket.

Netizens slam Manjarekar on social media!

Amidst this climate of hostility, Sanjay Manjarekar has come out with a rather controversial statement supporting the lacklustre performance of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team.

After the match, Manjrekar suggested that Harmanpreet’s unbeaten 54 off 47 balls showcased her calibre. Furthermore, in a recent interview on Star Sports, Manjarekar revealed-

Harmanpreet Kaur showed in the end why she is so great. She almost won the match. The pitch was very tricky, the score was almost like chasing 250, and they reached so close. It’s a matter of great pride for me…

Manjarekar’s statements, however, were not received in a positive light by fans who showed their displeasure actively:

If it was Men’s team – they would have been criticised left, right and centre. Thats the issue. Our so called experts – they shy away from spitting facts against women cricket, that is why we haven’t won any ICC tournament. https://t.co/1woWBHEtDa

— Susheel Raj Nath Raina (@raina151986) October 14, 2024

Only Manjrekar can appreciate Manjrekar like batting done by Harmanpreet Kaun in 2024 in a must game T20 match. Hats off man

— Chandan Sahay (@iCKSahay) October 13, 2024

This is ridiculous! So, the plan is to just come close and lose every tournament? And that’s your excuse?

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) October 13, 2024

No other team other than India would have come so close to the big target Aus set on a difficult pitch. I say, well done India!
And again what a star Harman is! 👏👏👏

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 13, 2024