He hit his first international century in December 2011 against the West Indies, going undefeated at 104. But he would have to wait seven months for his next chance.
Whichever format it is played in, the Indian cricket squad has always been the hardest to penetrate. Maintaining the position for the greatest period of time is much more difficult. Many talented cricketers never made it that far despite playing a lot of domestic cricket, while the most promising players have disappeared after making the squad. In the final league-stage match of Ranji Trophy season, Bengal defeated Bihar at the Eden Gardens under the captaincy of the legendary MS Dhoni. On Monday, as the behemoth of first-class cricket, Manoj Tiwary, hung up his boots for the last time, he talked about his biggest career regret: questioning an incident that happened when the captain of the Indian team, MS Dhoni.
After making his Indian debut in 2008, Tiwary participated in 12 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals over the course of seven years and eight series. His first international century came in December 2011 in an undefeated 104 against the West Indies in Chennai. But before he would get another chance, he would have to wait seven more months.
Speaking to News 18 after he announced his retirement, Tiwary said he would like to hear the then-captain Dhoni explain one day why he had to sit out for 14 matches in spite of the century that won him Player of the Match. He went on to say that he was overlooked during the 2012 Australian tour, during which elite players like Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma had difficulty scoring runs.
“Whenever I get the chance, I want to hear from him. I will ask this question without a doubt. I want to know why Dhoni removed me from the team after I reached a century, particularly during that Australian tour when none of the other players—Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, or Virat Kohli—were racking up runs. Now that I have nothing to lose, he said.
One of Tiwary’s greatest regrets was not getting a Test cap. Recalling his first-class stats and his practice match knocks against Australia and England, Tiwary stated that Yuvraj Singh was chosen by the Indian selectors in spite of Singh’s domestic cricketing efforts.
“I had a batting average of about 65 after playing 65 first-class matches. During the Australia team’s tour of India, I scored 130 in a friendly match and then 93 in another friendly match against England. Although I was very close, Yuvraj Singh was chosen in my place. Thus, the test cap and the fact that I was disregarded for 14 straight matches after winning Man of the Match for reaching a hundred points. A player tends to die when their self-confidence is destroyed at its highest point,” he continued.