Sanjay Manjrekar was slammed by fans after he defended the Indian women's team.© Instagram
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar praised captain Harmanpreet Kaur and the women's team for putting up a brave fight against Australia in their T20 World Cup 2024 match in Sharjah on Sunday. The Indian women's team suffered a heartbreaking loss to defending champions Australia, with the defeat all but confirming the Harmanpreet-led side's exit from the tournament in the group stage. Harmanpreet scored an unbeaten fifty but her knock went in vain as the team failed to chase down 14 runs in the final over.
As the defeat left the fans frustrated, Manjrekar took to social media and lauded Harmanpreet and her girls for giving Australia a tough run for their money.
"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!," Manjrekar posted on X.
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!
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 13, 2024
And again what a star Harman is!
However, fans lashed out at Manjrekar for defending Harmanpreet and the Indian women's team, calling it an "excuse".
Here's how fans reacted:
I guess an average player can only praise an average performance. This is the same guy who criticised Virat for his T20 WC final knock.
— Nitin Raj (@MrPerfectTech) October 14, 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
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
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
After the match, Manjrekar suggested that Harmanpreet's unbeaten 54 off 47 balls showcased her calibre.
"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," he said on Star Sports.
"The Indian team touched new heights today. This was a very important match... the batters kept scoring without Mandhana's contribution, and the bowling was good," he added.
"They set an excellent score on the tough pitch in Sharjah. They set 150 where the average score is around 115. India almost won this match. So they reached close to Mount Everest, they reached the third or fourth base," Manjrekar explained.
(With IANS Inputs)