Manoj Tiwary defends his 'hypocrite' remark on Gautam Gambhir
What's the story
Ex-Indian cricketer, Manoj Tiwary, has defended his recent criticism of India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir.
In an interview with News18 Bangla, Tiwary had described Gambhir as a "hypocrite" after India's 1-3 defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Trophy.
"Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite. He doesn't do what he says," Tiwary, who played 15 internationals for India, had stated.
Favoritism allegations
Tiwary questions Gambhir's favoritism in team selection
Further, Tiwary also questioned Gambhir's favoritism in team selection, pointing out that both Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar hail from Mumbai.
He was disappointed that Jalaj Saxena was not given a chance despite his consistent performance.
"Where is the captain (Rohit) from? Mumbai. Where is Abhishek Nayar from? Mumbai," Tiwary had said during his interview with News18 Bangla.
IPL controversy
Tiwary disputes Gambhir's role in KKR's IPL victory
Tiwary also contested Gambhir's contribution to Kolkata Knight Riders's (KKR) 2012 IPL win.
He claimed it wasn't just Gambhir's captaincy that led to the victory, but a team effort with the likes of Jacques Kallis, Manvinder Bisla, and himself contributing.
"Jacques Kallis, Manvinder Bisla and I performed with the bat and Sunil Narine bowled exceptionally well," he said questioning the narrative around KKR's title win under Gambhir.
Response
Tiwary responds to Aakash Chopra's comments
Tiwary's remarks drew reactions from his fellow cricketers, including Nitish Rana and Harshit Rana, who were mentored by Gambhir in KKR last season.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, on his YouTube channel, opined that Tiwary was only following the trend of slamming Gambhir.
Tiwary, in response, shared a video on X where he clarified his position and denied just going with the tide.
Statement
Tiwary clarifies his earlier statements
Tiwary, in his defense, added that his statements were blown out of proportion.
"I was at my coaching centre, sitting there after practice. The local media came there to take my interview. We spoke for 20-25 minutes, and you know that when these people [media] take interviews, they go back to the office and edit it - whatever is convenient, what they feel is required will be kept. They will try to keep whatever there is demand for," added Tiwary.
Coaching critique
Tiwary's stance on Gambhir's coaching approach
Tiwary earlier went on to elaborate more on his criticism of Gambhir's coaching approach. He drew a line between coaching and mentoring, saying they aren't the same.
Tiwary called Gambhir a "hypocrite" for earlier arguing against hiring foreign coaches but then appointing Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel as assistant and bowling coaches, respectively.