Cricketer-turned-expert Manoj Tiwary opened up about his playing days for India, sharing candid views on the challenges he faced to get a chance on a consistent basis, especially during MS Dhoni's captaincy tenure. The Bengal batter made his international debut in the ODI format in 2008 Down Under, when Dhoni was the captain, taking over from Rahul Dravid.
The expert stated that how lack of sufficient backing from the management under CSK star's leadership cut short his playing career despite performances which merited more opportunities. Tiwary also recalled his match-winning ODI ton against West Indies in 2011, and expected he would get more chances after that stupendous knock.
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"No, I don't think so. See, reputation, perception is something that people go by. But I'm the one, and there are a few others as well in the team who have gone through the period of his tenure as well. So there are a lot of players who have a different version of how he used to back his players. In my experience, see, I can only share my experience, what has happened to me. If he had really backed his players, then he would have definitely backed me because I performed in that particular match and over a period of time," Tiwary said while speaking to Crictracker.
Never got long-term backing from MS Dhoni: Manoj Tiwary
While the former India player admired MS Dhoni's leadership, he stated that he never got long-term backing from him, like some of the players like Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, & Ravi Ashwin got during the CSK star's captaincy stint.
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"But in my case, it didn't happen. I cannot say for the others. Everybody likes MS, and obviously, he has proven over a period of time, with his leadership, which I always say that that his leadership qualities were very good. But somehow, in my case, I don't know. He's the only one who can answer your question. But I think there were a couple of individuals whom he really liked and gave full backing at that point in time. A lot of people know, but not everyone comes forward and speaks about it. So there is a very strong liking and disliking that happens in cricket everywhere. So I consider myself not liking one. He did not like me, maybe. That is the only thing that I can answer you," he explained.
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Notably, Tiwary's stop-gap ODI career saw him playing only 12 matches, the last of which came in 2015 against Zimbabwe. In the games he played, the Bengal batter scored 287 runs, scoring one century and one fifty. He has also represented India in a sole T20I game.
