Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary, just days after his retirement from first-class cricket, had revealed shocking details about his fight with India’s 2011 World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dressing room back in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, it seems there still remain some unheard details of that fight as Tiwary made an explosive revelation on how Gambhir had threatened him during the incident.
Tiwary joined KKR in 2010, following his two-year stint at Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). He grew into an integral member of the franchise and was also part of the KKR’s title-winning side in 2012. In fact, he had scored the winning boundary against Dwayne Bravo at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to help KKR beat Chennai Super Kings in that final.
Fight with Gambhir
However, his stay at the Kolkata franchise turned sour following a fight with then-skipper Gambhir. Tiwary was eventually released by KKR ahead of the start of the 2014 season. In a fresh interview, he revealed that the incident had happened during a match at the Arun Jaitely Stadium (then Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium), where the two-time World Cup winner had threatened him.
“He told me, ‘You meet me outside after the match, I’ll see you. You are finished today.’ I feel he shouldn’t have said that. At Kotla, the journalists’ tent was inside the field. Everyone could hear those words,” he was quoted by Anandabazar Patrika.
Despite what had unfolded, Tiwary, who played 55 innings in KKR colours, expressed regret over his fight with Gambhir, saying that although he usually has a good rapport with senior players, that incident gave him a bad name.
“I still regret that trouble with Gambhir. Because I am not the kind of person who quarrels with seniors, that incident could have been avoided. My relationship with seniors is very good. But for one incident, I got a bad name,” he said. “At one time the relationship with Gambhir was good. So my regret is more. There were many discussions with him while playing for KKR. I used to decide who needed to be included in the team. All cricketers’ opinions were taken. I also told myself. But as expected, the relationship did not progress.”
