The tense relationship between Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary, once again, came under the spotlight recently. In a candid reflection, Tiwary opened up about a heated argument with Gambhir during a Ranji Trophy match in 2015, as well as their tumultuous days together at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician revealed that the two had an argument over Tiwary’s batting position in KKR, which reached such a level that it had to be cooled down by none other than the cricketing legend of Pakistan, Wasim Akram.
Tiwary remembered how an argument over his batting position almost led him to lose his place in the playing XI during a KKR match at Eden Gardens. According to Tiwary, things got so heated that Akram had to step in to calm the situation down. The tension between Gambhir and Tiwary reached such a point that Akram, who was the bowling coach at KKR, recognized Gambhir’s frustration and even suggested that he behave more like a captain. Akram knew that Tiwary had the potential but felt that Gambhir could not tolerate the media attention and growing reputation Tiwary was getting.
In an interview with Lallantop, Manoj Tiwary added, “When a new player emerges, he is given space in the newspaper. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why he got angry with me. If I had had a PR team, I could have been the India captain today.” This was a reflection on Tiwary’s thought of his rise into the side when Gambhir resented him probably because he found himself being threatened by the newcomer.
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Tiwary even shared the issue of friction at KKR back in 2010, while he and Gambhir were enjoying a good equation. According to Tiwary, things soured when Gambhir began making derogatory statements against him and making him face unprovoked outbursts. He thinks that was jealousy, where Gambhir simply couldn’t accept the fact that he was grabbing the limelight as a much-touted young local talent, while Tiwary was just beginning to rise in the rankings.
Manoj Tiwary exposed Gautam Gambhir 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0LrlDj0gFv
— Varun Giri (@Varungiri0) January 23, 2025
The two players had been on each other’s nerves since the 2015 Ranji Trophy match, where Gambhir, from the slip cordon, hurled abusive language at Tiwary. Tiwary said Gambhir was agitated because he was wasting time, and the verbal argument took a turn quickly.
‘लल्लनटॉप बैठकी’ में इस बार हमारे मेहमान हैं पूर्व क्रिकेटर और पश्चिम बंगाल में राज्यमंत्री मनोज तिवारी. गौतम गंभीर से लड़ाई को लेकर मनोज ने क्या राज खोले? सौरभ गांगुली, धोनी और #TeamIndia में सेलेक्शन पर भी बात की.
पूरा इंटरव्यू: https://t.co/qPXCDt0lKx @saurabhtop… pic.twitter.com/yHQBPl41KZ
— The Lallantop (@TheLallantop) January 23, 2025
Manoj Tiwary said that Gambhir had hurled offensive language, including personal insults, before threatening him with physical violence by saying, “Meet me in the evening; I am going to thrash you.” Tiwary, who stood his ground, responded by saying, “Why evening? Let’s fight now.”
The incident left a lasting impact on Tiwary, who was already dealing with Gambhir’s actions behind the scenes, including the constant demotion in the batting order. Tiwary claimed that Gambhir’s frustrations were rooted in the fact that he had outperformed him during a series of friendly matches against Australia.
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Ultimately, it is the personal issues of Gambhir that created issues between him and Tiwary, often relating to the insecurities of Gambhir, where Gambhir acted with jealousy many times. Reflections of Tiwary make clear the nature of their relationship when they played at KKR, how insecurity creates an individual from the inside.
