Whatever MS Dhoni touches turns into gold dust. He has nurtured many talented Indian cricketers. Several players credit their successful careers to MS Dhoni, whether it’s Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, or Ravindra Jadeja. However, there are some cricketers who blame MS Dhoni for the downfall of their careers. Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag are big names who were dropped under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
Recently, Manoj Tiwary, who made his debut under MS Dhoni in 2011, attributed the downfall in his career to the former Indian skipper. The Howrah-born cricketer believes that had Dhoni not dropped him in 2011, he could have become a big name in the cricket world.
Manoj Tiwary’s Candid Take on MS Dhoni
“I would like to ask Dhoni why I was 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 said while talking to reporters on the sidelines of his felicitation at the Calcutta Sports Journalists.
Tiwary feels that he should have been given a chance in India’s tour of Australia in 2011, especially considering he had scored a century against West Indies. “I was dropped from the team after scoring the century, especially in that tour of Australia where nobody was scoring runs, neither was Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina. I have nothing to lose now” Tiwary added.
Manoj Tiwary Was Dropped After Scoring A Century
Manoj Tiwary debuted for India in 2008 in an ODI against Australia and could score only 2 runs. He was dropped for 3 years. He got his second India call-up in 2011 when he was selected for India’s 5-match home ODI series against England. He got 2 chances in the series in which batting at no.4 position he scored 35 runs.
Later, he was included in the 5-ODI match series against West Indies from November to December 2011. This series turned out to be the best of his career. Despite getting only one chance (in the 5th ODI), he went on to score 104 runs, earning him the Man of the Match award for his debut hundred. Subsequently, in February 2012, India participated in the ODI tri-series in Australia, featuring alongside Sri Lanka and the home side. However, Manoj Tiwary didn’t find his name in the squad.
He returned to the Indian ODI team for the Sri Lanka tour in July 2012, playing two games and scoring 86 runs, including a fifty. However, after the tour, he once again found himself out of the ODI team. Three years later, during India’s tour of Zimbabwe, where a second-string Indian squad led by Ajinkya Rahane played, he got another opportunity. Unfortunately, the series proved to be disappointing for him as he only managed to score 34 runs, and he was never considered for the Indian team again.
Despite his ups and downs in the national team, Manoj Tiwary remained a consistent presence in the Indian Premier League. In 2017, he played for the Rising Pune Supergiants alongside MS Dhoni, who was removed from captaincy by the IPL franchise. In 96 IPL matches, Tiwary amassed 1686 runs. Since retiring from professional cricket, he has transitioned into a new role as the junior Sports Minister of West Bengal state.