I thought of questioning MS Dhoni regarding my axing but tried to hold it back: Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary is one of the many cricketers in India who hasn’t got even a chance to prove his mettle at the highest level. He played only 12 ODIs and 3 T20 Internationals and last donned the India jersey in any format in July 2015. With age not on his side, it is unlikely now that Tiwary will make a comeback to the national side but is willing to ask MS Dhoni the reason for his axing.

After making his debut in 2008 against Australia in Brisbane, he never got consistent chances and only played for the country whenever the seniors were rested. Rather, the Bengal batsman was dropped for the next 14 games after scoring a century and winning the Man of the Match award.

He scored a ton against West Indies in December 2011 and then played the next game in July 2012 against Sri Lanka scoring 21 and 65 in the two ODIs only to be dropped for next 22 months again.

Manoj Tiwary regrets not playing more for India

Manoj Tiwary opened up on not getting more chances to play for India during his interaction with Boria Majumdar on Fancode’s special segment ‘Lockdown But Not Out’. He has always been vocal about the same and also recalled about getting dropped after scoring a century against the Caribbeans.

“100% I believe that. I’ve always been vocal about this (not getting chances) because I never thought after scoring a 100 for my country and getting a Man of the Match award, I will not find a place in the playing XI for next 14 games,” he said. The 34-year-old also respected the fact that the team management might have had some other plans but feels that he should’ve asked the then skipper MS Dhoni about his axing.

Manoj Tiwary played alongside him during the IPL 2016 and 2017 in the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) and thought that he couldn’t ask Dhoni about the same because due to the intensity of the matches during the tournament. However, he is willing to ask the veteran cricketer whenever he next meets him.

“But I do also respect the fact that the captain and the coach or the management had some other ideas as well because we as a player have to respect whatever they were thinking at that point of time. Maybe they thought otherwise.

“I never got the opportunity or you say the courage at that point of time to go and ask Mahi, our captain during that time because we respect our seniors so much that we tend to hold back ourselves on questioning a few things. So I haven’t questioned him yet.

I wanted to ask him during my RPS days but because of the game situation and the intensity in the IPL or maybe otherwise, I try myself to hold back because I don’t want to make anyone’s mindset unhappy or upset at that point of time so that it affects. But I’ve obviously thought about asking him in the future,” Tiwary further said.