After deciding to hang his boots and retire from cricket, Bengal batsman
Manoj Tiwary
made some controversial comments on various issues, which have been widely discussed in the sport's corridors. Adding to the list is his revelation of a "big fight" with
Gautam Gambhir
in the dressing room.
The incident revealed by Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is for India, is from the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), when he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under the captaincy of Gambhir.
In an interaction with Anandbazar Patrika, Tiwary said: “During my time at KKR, I had a big fight with Gambhir in the dressing room. It never came to light. KKR became the champion in 2012...I got a chance to play for KKR one more year. Had I not fought with Gambhir in 2013, maybe I would have played for another 2-3 years. That means the amount I was supposed to get as per the contract would have gone up. Bank balance would be strengthened. But I never thought about that."
Gambhir will return to the KKR camp for the upcoming IPL season as the team's mentor.
Tiwary, who was part of the KKR team that won the IPL trophy in 2012, played for the franchise from 2010 to 2013. He, in fact, scored the winning runs that made KKR champions in 2012.
Before donning the KKR jersey, Tiwary played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2008 and 2009. He talked about his frustration with selection issues in the Delhi team when it came to picking the playing XI and finally asked the team management to release him.
“Gary Kirsten was the coach when I played for Delhi Capitals. I was seeing in front of my eyes in one match after another that the first eleven was not going well. The combination is not correct. Eligible cricketers were not getting a chance to play. Many were out due to injuries. The results of the team were not good. I went straight and said, 'leave me if you can't put me in the XI'. My contract then was ₹2.8 crore. I never thought that if I said this, they would misunderstand me,” he said.
English (US) ·