Sanjay Manjrekar responds to Ravi Ashwin’s hilarious meme over his ‘all-time great’ remark

Sanjay Manjrekar and controversies are indeed two sides of the same coin. The cricketer-turned-commentator has never hesitated in making sensational statements and has also faced criticism for the same. Manjrekar recently hogged the limelight for his unpopular opinion on Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. In an interaction, the former batsman disapproved Ashwin as an ‘all-time great,’ saying the offie hasn’t done too well overseas. With the Tamil Nadu bowler deemed as one of the finest spinners going around, Manjrekar’s views didn’t impress fans.

Ashwin also reacted to the commentator’s claim but in a comical manner. Taking to Twitter, the veteran off-spinner shared a dialogue from Tamil movie, Aparachith, while replying to Manjrekar. He reverted in Tamil, which roughly translates to, “Don’t say like that… My heart is paining.” Manjrekar wasn’t going to hold back after Ashwin’s antics, and he expectedly extended the episode with a cheeky statement.

Sanjay Manjrekar takes a dig at social media trolls

Referring the off-spinner as ‘Chaari,’ a character for the same movie, the former batsman suggested that his cricketing assessment of Ashwin was blown out of proportion. “Also Chaari, my heart aches to see simple, straightforward, cricketing assessments kick up a fuss these days,” he wrote on Twitter alongside three laughing emojis.

Also Chaari, my heart aches to see simple, straightforward, cricketing assessments kick up a fuss these days😂😂😂 https://t.co/7r7SNqpQq3

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 8, 2021

Notably, Manjrekar had defended his views on Ashwin on an earlier occasion as well. “All- time great is the highest praise & acknowledgement given to a cricketer. Cricketers like Don Bradman, Sobers, Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Virat etc are all time greats in my book. With due respect, Ashwin not quite there as an all-time great yet. AllTimeGreatExplained,” he tweeted on June 6.

‘All- time great’ is the highest praise & acknowledgement given to a cricketer. Cricketers like Don Bradman, Sobers, Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Virat etc are all time greats in my book. With due respect, Ashwin not quite there as an all-time great yet. 🙏#AllTimeGreatExplained😉

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 6, 2021

Meanwhile, Ashwin has been a cornerstone of India’s Test team ever since making his debut in the format in 2011. While he has been exceptional at home, his overseas record isn’t that daunting. The off-spinner is yet to take a five-wicket haul in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia).

Nevertheless, he bowled some spectacular spells on Australian soil during the Test series earlier this year, and he would be determined to continue his stellar show. The talismanic cricketer is currently gearing up for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, which gets underway on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.