Manoj Tiwary played the last match of his fantastic first-class career against Bihar in the Ranji Trophy. Bengal failed to qualify for the Quarter-Finals of the tournament as they finished third in their group and the skipper Manoj Tiwary scored 30 in the last innings of his professional career. Just a day after the game, he talked to the media where he openly targeted MS Dhoni with a serious question regarding his career.
Manoj Tiwary feels that he could have been just like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli if he got enough opportunities in the international circuit. He scored a century in ODIs against West Indies in 2011 but was dropped after that and he wants reasons why he was dropped after scoring a ton. He made his international debut under MS Dhoni and played 12 ODIs for India between 2008 and 2015. Tiwary scored 287 runs at an average of 26.09 and he scored a century against West Indies in 2011.
It is noteworthy that Manoj Tiwary missed the next 14 matches with MS Dhoni as the captain before making a return against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2012. Manoj Tiwary has now publically asked MS Dhoni about his exclusion from the Indian team after scoring a century.
He said that he feels sad to see many people getting more opportunities on TV. Manoj Tiwary had a memorable first-class career as he amassed 10195 runs in 148 matches at an average of 47.86 including 45 half-centuries and 30 centuries.
“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, and Virat Kohli but could not be. Today, when I see many people getting more opportunities on TV, I feel sad,” Manoj Tiwari said to the reporters on the sidelines of his felicitation at the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club on Tuesday.
Manoj Tiwary was recently fined 20% of match fees
“I can observe that young players have adopted an IPL-centric mindset,” Tiwary said, referring to centrally 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 added.
Manoj Tiwary recently posted on his social media to scrap the Ranji Trophy without any reason and for that, he was fined 20% of his match fees. Surprisingly, he made such a statement as he had got the most fame and recognition through that tournament and also got the opportunity to play for India due to his performance in the Ranji Trophy.
Manoj Tiwary had a short international career as he played 12 ODIs and three T20Is with his last appearance in international cricket coming against Zimbabwe in 2015. Apart from 287 runs, he has also taken six wickets in ODIs with a four-fer against Sri Lanka in 2012. He made his debut against Australia in 2008 at the Gabba and last played against Zimbabwe at the Harare Cricket Club in 2015.
