Former India cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Murali Kartik, who are part of the broadcast team for India’s tour of Sri Lanka, found themselves involved in an awkward exchange during the Galle Test on Monday. The two were discussing the ongoing match when their conversation unexpectedly shifted from cricket to Manjrekar’s facial expressions. What started as a joke quickly turned into a series of personal remarks between the two former cricketers.
Kartik began by poking fun at Manjrekar’s expression, asking him to stop making what he called the “pout of the century” because it was making his speech difficult to understand. "That's a bad one," Manjrekar replied and also responded with a comment about Kartik’s appearance, suggesting that the camera focus on someone else because the other person, Ajinkya Rahane in this case, had a more pleasant face. The exchange continued as both took further digs at each other.
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Kartik hit back, saying Manjrekar was the one who liked looking at himself, while Manjrekar suggested there was an incentive for Kartik to look in the mirror. Kartik said he never looked at himself and added that people who had played or worked with Manjrekar would know him well. Manjrekar then appeared to realise that the exchange could go too far, acknowledging that they were approaching a line. The conversation ended with Manjrekar saying, “We are both going to cross lines here and social media will have a field day.” The unusual on-air exchange quickly attracted attention because of how far the banter moved away from cricket. While both former players appeared to be trading jokes, the comments became increasingly personal before Manjrekar attempted to bring the interaction to an end.