Manoj Tiwary Rips into Gautam Gambhir's Selection Calls and Ashwin's Handling Following Shock Retirement

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary was speaking in a very forthright interview in which he made a lot of criticisms regarding Gautam Gambhir being selected as head coach of the Indian cricket team and Ravichandran Ashwin being handled post the latter's shock retirement. Tiwary, who once had a controversial altercation with Gambhir during their IPL days, discussed various aspects of Gambhir’s coaching tenure, asserting that he was not the right choice for the role and pointing out how Ashwin, one of India’s finest spinners, was treated unfairly by the team management.

Tiwary’s concerns about Gambhir’s ability to coach the Indian team stem from recent underwhelming performances under his leadership. He highlighted several significant setbacks, including India’s loss in an ODI series to Sri Lanka, which marked their first defeat in the format on Sri Lankan soil in 27 years. Additionally, India suffered a historic 0-3 whitewash at home to New Zealand, a result that shocked cricket fans worldwide. Most recently, India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, a defeat that had not occurred for over a decade. According to Tiwary, it wasn't shocking considering Gambhir's experience as an international level coach. According to Tiwary, while Gambhir has won IPL teams in the past, his inability to handle the national team had much to do with these abysmal results.

Tiwary, who is a deputy sports minister in West Bengal, went on to criticize the decision of Gambhir's appointment, saying that people with more experience, such as VVS Laxman and Sairaj Bahutule, were more suited for the role. He said that Laxman and Bahutule had been in the NCA for many years and were, therefore, in a natural position to take up the head coach role. However, the sudden appointment of Gambhir seemed out of place, and Tiwary suggested that this was a flawed decision based solely on Gambhir's IPL success rather than his coaching credentials. "When someone who does not have any experience and he comes up and takes up the job… And knowing him, how aggressive he is as an individual in certain aspects, this result is bound to happen," Tiwary remarked.

Tiwar's criticism went beyond Gambhir's coaching skills to the story of KKR's success in the IPL. While Gambhir was said to have been the reason for the team winning its third IPL title last season, Tiwary argued that Gambhir could not be singled out as the reason for the turnaround. Tiwary said that it was domestic coach Chandrakant Pandit, who worked under Gambhir, who had contributed to the turnaround of the team. Tiwa argues that Gambhir's experience of coaching has been limited to guiding IPL teams and that the said experience cannot equip him for the international-level complexity of coaching.

The discussion now turns to the shock retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin, which hogged headlines during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India match-winning bowler Ashwin was reportedly left out in favor of the younger spinners like Washington Sundar, according to Tiwary, an insult to the seasoned cricketer. Tiwary particularly criticized the decision of giving Sundar more overs than Ashwin in home series despite the proven track record of Ashwin. "When you have a player of Ashwin's calibre, what is the need for you to bring in Washington in the home series where Ashwin is there, Jadeja is there, and Kuldeep is there, and make him bowl more overs than Ashwin? Is that not an insult to Ashwin?

" Tiwary said pointing out the injustice. Tiwary felt that Ashwin, being a gentlemanly player, may not have shown his resentment on public platforms. He felt, however, that the treatment was uncalled for and demoralizing, particularly by a player who had given the team consistent match-winning performances season after season. He believed that Ashwin had retired from cricket due to all these frustrations where the spinner felt undervalued by the management

Tiwaari believed that players are to be dealt with dignity, respect, acknowledgment of their worth, and facilitation. What Tiwari said reveals and reflects the greater concerns of what is happening at the helm with the management of the Indian team and how cricketers are being treated-such as a case with Ashwin. Tiwary's view reminds us of the intricacies involved in international coaching and the need to select leaders who can unite the team and bring out the best in their players. As the team moves forward, the need for a more experienced and effective coaching approach remains a topic of ongoing debate in Indian cricket circles.