Former India cricketer says MS Dhoni and selectors crushed his confidence: 'Dukh toh hota hi hai'

Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20I matches for India, has said that it hurts to recall how his confidence was crushed by MS Dhoni and selectors early when his international career could have blossomed.

The 38-year-old former Bengal captain made his debut for India under Dhoni's captaincy in an ODI match against Australia in Brisbane. He was clean bowled by Brett Lee for two runs off 16 balls.

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He had to wait for more than three years for his second chance in which he scored two runs against West Indies in June 2011. After failing in his next three ODI innings as well, Manoj Tiwary finally slammed an unbeaten hundred against West Indies in his sixth ODI match in December 2011.

Tiwary again had to wait for seven months for his next ODI outing in a series against Sri Lanka. He scored a fifty in his second outing on the tour before again being dropped for two years. He was recalled to play a match against Bangladesh in June 2014 before finally playing his last three ODIs in Zimbabwe in July 2015.

"See, it happened a long time ago. It's a matter of the past, but yes, dukh toh hota hi hai (It was sad). I would lie if I said it wasn't saddening. What can we do? It's life; but it needs to move forward. If I am to write my autobiography or I do a podcast of my own, I will reveal it all. But it wasn't easy. When a player is at his peak, when his confidence is crushed, it causes a change in mindset," Manoj Tiwary told Cricket Addictor in a chat.

Earlier this year, Manoj Tiwary, who also played three T20I matches from October 29, 2011 to September 11, 2013, had said that he would like to ask MS Dhoni about the reason why he dropped despite the hundred against West Indies in Chennai.

Manoj Tiwary played his last professional match in February 2024 for Bengal. He retired 10195 runs in 148 first-class matches, and 5581 runs in 169 List A games. He also played 98 IPL matches in which he scored 1695 runs and picked one wicket.