Manoj Tiwary (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Manoj Tiwary debuted for India in 2008 in the 1st ODI against Australia in Brisbane. He made his T20I debut in 2011 against England in Kolkata. The 38-year-old went on to play just 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India and played his last international game for India in 2015. Playing his sixth ODI in 2011, he brought up his maiden international ton, scoring an unbeaten 104 against West Indies in Chennai.
The Bengal-born cricketer announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2023. The right-handed batter has come forward and revealed that he was dropped from the team when he was at the peak of his career. Tiwary has 287 runs in ODIs at an average of 26.09 in 12 innings. He added that he was ousted after scoring a ton and such incidents rather crush a player’s confidence.
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“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,” said Tiwary as quoted by NDTV Sports.
Akash Deep made all the sacrifices needed to achieve something significant: Tiwary
The former Bengal captain also took note of the emerging Indian pacer, Akash Deep. Akash has impressed with his outing against Bangladesh in the Test series. The right-arm pacer picked five wickets in two Tests and has found himself in the scheme of things. Tiwary applauded the pacer’s resilience and credited the 27-year-old for his persistence.
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“When Akash Deep came into the senior team from U23, it was clear that he had talent. He has worked very hard to turn that talent into performance and made all the sacrifices needed to achieve something significant. He’s a hardworking and mentally stable player. So far, he’s performed exceptionally well in Indian conditions. Imagine, when he plays in overseas conditions like Australia, England or South Africa, his performance will make him stand among some of the great bowlers,” he added.