Former India cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Murali Kartik were involved in an awkward on-air exchange during the lunch break on Day 3 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Galle. What began as light-hearted banter quickly turned personal, leaving viewers with an uncomfortable moment on live television.
Kartik, who was part of the studio panel, took a cheeky dig at Manjrekar over his expression while speaking on television. He joked that Manjrekar’s famous pout made it difficult to understand him at times and asked him to limit it. The remark immediately changed the tone of the conversation, with Manjrekar hitting back rather than letting the comment pass.
Manjrekar responded by asking the production team to switch the camera to former India batter Ajinkya Rahane, who was making his international commentary debut. He sarcastically described Rahane as a much more pleasant person to talk to and added a jab at Kartik, wondering how the former spinner's voice would sound while looking at himself in the mirror.
Kartik fired back, saying he did not look at himself in the mirror and suggested that Manjrekar was the one who did. The exchange continued with both former cricketers trading sharp remarks, turning what could have remained harmless commentary-room humour into a viral moment on social media.
However, Manjrekar eventually acknowledged that the conversation was crossing the line and predicted that social media would have a field day with their exchange. The incident quickly attracted attention online, with fans reacting to the unexpected verbal duel between two familiar voices from the cricket commentary box.
