A former India batter has once again attacked Gautam Gambhir, claiming the head coach threatened him.
Gautam Gambhir’s headstrong personality has brought him plenty of success but has also landed him in trouble. While his rivalry with certain individuals is more hyped than truth – against MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli – the fact that he and Manoj Tiwary did not get along is no secret. Gambhir and Tiwary’s infamous fight during the 2015 Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Bengal at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium became one of the most talked-about altercations in the history of Indian cricket. However, as it turns out, it wasn’t the first, but just another chapter of Tiwary and Gambhir being at loggerheads.
Gautam Gambhir doesn’t share the best of relationships with Manoj Tiwary(Getty)
Tiwary has not shied away from criticising Gambhir in the past, and here, too, in a fresh interview, the former India batter has lashed out at his ex-India teammate. Going back to his days at Kolkata Knight Riders, Tiwary recalled how he and Gambhir initially got along well before it all went downhill between the two.
“I would get scolded without any reason. I couldn’t understand why he would target me. In fact, when I came to KKR in 2010, he and I got along nicely. But then he would lose his cool at me out of the blue. He would use very hurtful words. Then, when I started thinking about it, I realised that out of all the local boys at KKR, I was the one who used to perform consistently. And since I was a promising youngster, the media was giving me attention. So, he didn’t react to it well. That is what I believe,” Tiwary said on Lallantop.
“Leading up to our fight at the 2015 Ranji Trophy, he was angry at me. In KKR, we had an argument. I was constantly getting demoted in the KKR batting order. In one of the friendly matches against Australia, I was the highest scorer. I had scored 129, while he [Gambhir] scored 110. Even then, he lost his cool. I was applying sunscreen when he came to me and shouted, ‘What are you doing here? Everybody else is on the ground’. Out of nowhere.”
The altercation that damaged Gambhir and Tiwary’s bond
Not that Gambhir and Tiwary did not have issues in the past, but an altercation which was observed even by KKR’s assistant coach Wasim Akram seems to have damaged their relations once and for all. Tiwary claims Gambhir threatened him, and gave him an ultimatum that the batter would never again play for KKR. That, as it turns out, sabotaged their dynamic once and for all.
“Once, we had a heated argument about my batting position at the Eden Gardens. I was upset and had gone to the washroom. He barged in and said ‘This attitude won’t work. Tujhe kabhi khilaunga nahi (I won’t give you a game). This and that. I never liked such words. He was giving me a threat. Aaj ke baad, tujhe kabhi khilaunga nahi. Wasim Akram also came in. He was our bowling coach, so he calmed things down. He said ‘You are the captain. Cool down’ He understood, he knew what was happening. He had said good things about my talent a few years ago.”
Tiwary pointed out that he didn’t reach out to team owner Shah Rukh Khan over it, but that incident inside the washroom acted as the catalyst behind what transpired at the Kotla two years later in 2015. After their face-off in 2013, Tiwary was released by KKR the following year and returned to play for the Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) for the next two seasons.
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