The Bengal cricketer turned politician Manoj Tiwary has been slamming the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir on quite a big level after the Indian cricket team failed miserably against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While many may think that Manoj Tiwary is hurt with the performance of the Indian team but the fact is that he is not on good terms with Gautam Gambhir for a long time.
Recently, Manoj Tiwary gave an interview in which he talked about various incidents and it also gave us a glimpse as to how a rivalry which started on a cricket field has now entered their personal lives.
A notable incident occurred during a Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Delhi in 2015 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (now Arun Jaitley Stadium). Manoj Tiwary recounted that as he was preparing to take guard, Gautam Gambhir accused him of deliberately wasting time. Manoj Tiwary further claimed that Gautam Gambhir used abusive language towards him and even targeted Sourav Ganguly, a legendary cricketer and Manoj Tiwary’s mentor. This clash highlighted the intensity of their on-field rivalry and the personal animosity that extended beyond the game.
Manoj Tiwary stated, “When he was constantly abusing, I remember Sourav Ganguly had just joined CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal). He was speaking rubbish about him too. He said things like ‘Woh apna jack laga ke aa gaya. Tu bhi uske peeche aa gaya? Tu bhi yeh sab karke pohuch gaya. (He used his sources to reach where he has, and you too followed him? You’re up to such shenanigans too)’. When I told Dada, he said ‘theek hai’ (It’s fine). My duty was to convey it to him. You can see that he [Gambhir] has anger issue. After that day, there’s no scope of us talking or meeting.”
He further said, “I have never heard anybody give such abuses. If anybody abuses your mother, you should not take it lying down. I am not a person who can handle abuses quietly. I asked him, ‘Gauti bhai, why are you talking like this?’. Then the over got over. Then I lost cool. He said, ‘meet me in the evening, I will thrash you’. I said, ‘why evening? let’s do it now.’ The match was in Delhi. No player ever talked to me in that way. All media persons present heard all the words that came out from his mouth.”
Manoj Tiwary added, “The umpire came in between and he pushed away him too. Then the over ended and I was at the non-striker’s end. He came to mid-off and started abusing me again. Umpires can’t do much. He is a big player, and they are afraid that he can use his influence against them.”
If you wish to watch the full interview, click here
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