A day after playing the final match of his glittering first-class career, Manoj Tiwary has publicly asked the legendary India captain MS Dhoni the reason behind him being dropped from the team despite scoring a century.
Tiwary made his international debut under Dhoni and played 12 ODIs for India between 2008 and 2015. He scored 287 runs at 26.09 with his only century coming against West Indies in Chennai in December 2011.
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Interestingly, he missed the next 14 matches with Dhoni at the helm before making a return in July 2012 and playing a starring role with the ball in India’s six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in an ODI in Colombo.
“I would like to ask Dhoni why was I dropped from the playing XI in 2011 after scoring a century? 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,” Tiwary told reporters on the sidelines of his felicitation at the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club on Tuesday.
Tiwary also claimed that the younger generation of Indian cricketers is ‘IPL-centric’ and it is diminishing the significance of India’s premier red-ball competition Ranji Trophy.
“I can observe that young players have adopted an IPL-centric mindset,” Tiwary said, referring to central contracted players opting out of playing domestic cricket. “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,” the 38-year-old said.
Tiwary was fined 20 per cent of his match fee recently for his remark on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) where he asked Ranji Trophy to be scrapped without elaborating the reason behind it.
“Now, expressing any opinion might lead to a ban. I have already been penalised with a 20 percent reduction in my match fee for just one post,” Tiwary said.
Recently, BCCI issued a directive to centrally contracted players making it mandatory for them to participate in Ranji Trophy.
“In hindsight, I feel that the directive issued by the BCCI might not have been given had I not posted it on X. Perhaps my post prompted the BCCI secretary to put the players under pressure now,” Tiwary said.
“The seriousness they have shown by taking this step in the crucial stage of the Ranji Trophy indicates their concern that many players, especially high-profile ones who have succeeded in the IPL with limited first-class cricket, are not giving enough importance to the Ranji Trophy,” he added.
Tiwary continued, “I could have spoken up earlier, but it seems that the BCCI is no longer governed by sportspersons; it’s now run by politicians. I am associated with a political party, but I am also a sportsperson. I don’t want to engage in a fight; I simply want the Ranji Trophy to be prioritised, as it is slowly losing its importance.”
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