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The controversy over Manoj Tiwary's dismissal from the Indian cricket team more than ten years ago has been rekindled by the former player. He subtly blamed the selection committee at the time and former captain MS Dhoni for his exclusion. Tiwary struck a century in an ODI against the West Indies in 2011; however, he was benched in the very following game. He returned to action for India eight months later.
In a recent interview with Cricket Addictor, the former player opened up about how the situation took a toll on him. Even though time has passed, the pain is still inside him. Tiwary said, "See, it happened a long time ago. It's a matter of the past, but yes, dukh to hota hi hai (It was sad). I would lie if I said it wasn't saddening. What can we do? It’s life, but it needs to move forward. If I am to write my autobiography or I do a podcast of my own, I will reveal it all. But it wasn't easy. When a player is at his peak when his confidence is crushed, it causes a change in mindset."
Tiwary had a great start in the cricketing career. Between 2008 and 2015, he played three Test matches and twelve ODIs for India, which was a far cry from how he and analysts had anticipated his career would develop. But it was short-lived. He has frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with the selection panel's treatment towards him, arguing that the decision to bench him was unfair and ill-timed given his performance.
Lacks common sense: Tiwary on Gautam Gambhir's batting decision against New Zealand
Tiwary's criticism didn't end with MS Dhoni. In a recent conversation on the Cricbuzz YouTube channel, he blamed team India coach Gautam Gambhir for the recent Test match loss against New Zealand. He felt that Gambhir failed to help captain Rohit Sharma in the selection process and batting decision despite the entire day being washed out due to rain.
"Sometimes I don't understand the decisions. Common sense seems to be lacking. What the coach or captain is trying to prove, is beyond my understanding." "I feel like whenever there is a new coach or new captain, they try to prove something, and take such decisions," he further added.
Further, he even questioned the decision to under-bowl R. Ashwin on Day 5. The spinner bowled only two overs, resulting in the visitors' win. He said he knew one of the spinners wouldn't be given much bowling chance but never imagined that it would be R. Ashwin. While chasing 107, New Zealand lost two important wickets early. However, Will Young (48*) and Rachin Ravindra (39*) added 75 runs for the third wicket, resulting in an easy win.
