It has been 16 years since Manoj Tiwary made his debut for the Indian cricket team. Recently, he announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. However, the disappointment of not being given enough opportunities to showcase his talent on the international stage still lingers.
Tiwary made his One Day International (ODI) debut in 2008, but had to wait three more years before getting another chance. He finally scored a century in the sixth ODI of his career. Unfortunately, this achievement did not secure him a consistent spot in the team, and he was dropped after just one match, missing the next 14 games under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
In July 2012, Tiwary was given another opportunity to play in the ODIs against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He performed well, taking four wickets and scoring a half-century. However, a series of poor scores in the following matches led to him being sidelined once again.
Between 2008 and 2015, Tiwary played a total of 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India. In a recent interview with Cricket Addictor, Tiwary expressed his disappointment at being dropped from the team despite his strong performances. He admitted that the decision had a significant impact on his confidence.
“It’s all in the past but yeah, I do feel sad,” Tiwary said. “I would be lying if say otherwise but life goes on. If I write my autobiography or do a podcast, I will reveal my story. Yeah, it wasn’t easy. Crushing the confidence of a guy when he’s at the peak (of his career) does impact the mindset.”
Earlier this year, Tiwary expressed his intention to inquire with Dhoni about the decision to drop him from the India playing XI in 2011, despite his impressive century.
“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 had said.
Tiwary was a member of the Legends League Cricket, where he played alongside stars like Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha while representing the Manipal Tigers.
"Feels great. I have played with most of them at some point on my career. These are legends whom we have seen growing up, so to play with them is a nice feeling. Even some of the players who announced their retirements slightly earlier, I would say, have joined the Legends League, so it's always a warm feeling to reunite with them and playing," he added.
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