MS Dhoni didn't like me, supported his favourite players: Manoj Tiwary

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has opened up about the struggles he faced during his international career and reiterated that MS Dhoni didn’t like him. Tiwary, who played his last international game against Zimbabwe in July 2015 believes that he did not get enough backing from the then-captain MS Dhoni-led team management and could have got more opportunities to play for India on account of his decent all-round exploits.

When West Indies toured India for a multi-format series in 2011, Tiwary scored a brilliant hundred in the 5th ODI to help India win the five-match series 4-1. He played his next ODI in July 2012, where his four-wicket haul helped India register a 6-wicket victory vs Sri Lanka. Despite his consistent performances, Tiwary claims he never got MS Dhoni’s backing, who extended his support to a few other players.

“Everybody likes MS and obviously, he has proven over a period of time with his leadership, which I always say 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,” Tiwary told Crictracker.

Tiwary felt hard done by Dhoni’s decision and feels that, despite his performances, he didn’t receive the same level of support and opportunities as some of his contemporaries.

"I think MS Dhoni, Duncan Fletcher, and the selectors will be the ones who will be able to answer that because till now, I haven't got any answer. Furthermore, I'm not someone who will call up the coach or the selectors or the captain at that time to answer me this. But I've earlier said that whenever I come across to MS Dhoni, definitely I'll ask him what are the main reasons why I was not given the opportunity after scoring 100," he added.

There are a lot of players who have a different version of Dhoni: Tiwary

While Tiwary respects Dhoni’s leadership qualities, he believes that his own career might have taken a different route altogether if he had received the same level of support given to a few other players during that period. When asked if he felt he got the kind of support from Dhoni that many other players received, Tiwary was honest about his experience.

“There are a lot of players who have a different version of how Dhoni 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.

MS Dhoni did play an instrumental role in guiding the Indian team smoothly through a phase of transition, giving backing to players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Suresh Raina to establish themselves, who eventually did. Manoj Tiwary played 12 ODIs, scoring 287 runs at an average of 26.09, including a century and a fifty. In 3 T20Is, he had limited batting opportunities, scoring just 15 runs.

Though he never played Test cricket for India, Tiwary has been a Bengal stalwart in red-ball cricket, amassing 10,195 runs in 148 matches, with a highest score of 303*. He even came out of retirement to lead Bengal in the 2024 Ranji Trophy, playing his final game against Bihar, which they won by an innings and 204 runs. In the IPL, he has represented Delhi Capitals (earlier Delhi Daredevils), Kolkata Knight Riders, Rising Pune Supergiant, and Punjab Kings (KXIP)