Fought hard to get Sanjay Manjrekar into Test team: Dilip Vengsarkar

Former India batsman Sanjar Manjrekar (left) has a word with his first Test captain, Dilip Vengsarkar during the launch of his book Imperfect at a city hotel yesterday. pic/bipin kokate

Dilip Vengsarkar revealed yesterday that he had to fight hard to include Sanjay Manjrekar in the Indian team for the 1988-89 tour of the West Indies. "One of the five selectors, who was known to be a poor player of fast bowling, expressed his unwillingness to pick Sanjay for the tour because he got hit on the face by Winston Benjamin in the Delhi Test of the 1987-88 series. I insisted that Sanjay be picked," said Vengsarkar, who released Manjrekar's book Imperfect at a city hotel.

"When we landed in the West Indies, Ajay Sharma got picked for the one-day series which was held before the Tests because he could also bowl. I expressed my desire to have Sanjay in the Test team, but some seniors felt Ajay would be a better choice. I asked Ravi Shastri for his opinion, hoping as a Mumbai player, he would opt for Sanjay. But even he felt Ajay was a better choice.

"Ultimately, Kapil Dev said that the captain must get the player he wants and that's how Sanjay got picked for the first Test (at Georgetown which was rain-marred and Manjrekar didn't get a chance to bat)," Vengsarkar added. Manjrekar scored a sizzling hundred in the next Test at Barbados and became the find of the tour.

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