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One of the legendary players, Manoj Tiwary on Sunday, February 18 announced retirement from professional cricket. However, the Bengal batter has called off curtains to his career ahead of the Ranji season, but on former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s request, the 38-year-old led his state side for the last time in Bengal versus Bihar Ranji Trophy match.
However, he received a farewell after his last appearance for Bengal, he has now dropped a bombshell, publicly putting up a question for former India captain and one of the greats of the game, MS Dhoni asking the reason behind dropping him despite scoring a century.
“I would like to ask Dhoni why was I dropped from the playing XI in 2011 after scoring a century?,” Manoj Tiwary said when asked about the regrets he had in his international career during a felicitation ceremony at the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club. Check the top betting trends on the best betting apps in India and sites.
“I had the potential to be a hero just like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli but could not be. Today, when I see many people getting more opportunities on TV, I feel sad,” he further added. Tiwary also added that not playing Test cricket was one of his biggest regrets.
“I did not get the Test cap for India. When I had completed playing 65 first-class matches, my batting average was around 65. The Australia team had toured India then, and I had cored 130 in a friendly game, then I cored 93 against England in a friendly game. I was very close, but they picked Yuvraj Singh instead. So not getting a Test cap and dropping me for 14 matches after I scored a century,” he quoted.
Young players have adopted an IPL-centric mindset: Manoj Tiwary
The 38-year-old former Indian cricketer also claimed that the younger generation of Indian cricketers is ‘IPL-centric’. Speaking on the importance of domestic cricket and the recent row involving Ishan Kishan and others, Tiwary opined, “I can observe that young players have adopted an IPL-centric mindset.”
“Those who don’t play IPL often go to Dubai or other places whenever they find some free time. However, this trend is diminishing the significance of the prestigious Ranji Trophy,” he further added.
It is to be further noted that Tiwary made his international debut under MS Dhoni and played 12 ODIs between 2008 and 2015 for India. He scored 287 runs, which included a knock of 104* against West Indies in Chennai in 2011. Tiwary also featured in three T20Is and played an all-round role in IPL for franchises including KKR, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings) and Rising Pune Supergiant.
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