Cricket

Yashasvi Jaiswal: A Rising Star in Indian CricketFormer Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has hailed young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal as a "legend in the making." Jaiswal's exceptional talent and skill have impressed fans and seasoned players alike, earning him high praise from Tiwary.Known for his aggressive batting style and mature temperament, Jaiswal has made a strong impact in international cricket at a young age. In the second Test against New Zealand, he hammered 77 runs from just 65 balls in the second innings, standing out as the lone batter who could effectively counter the challenges posed by the Kiwi bowlers.Tiwary believes that Jaiswal has the potential to become one of India's future cricketing legends. "He is a legend in the making. I rate him very highly," said Tiwary. "He has everything a cricketer needs to become a great cricketer. And it is quite visible even at such a young age."Tiwary praised Jaiswal's technique, positive mindset, hunger, and desire to improve. He noted that Jaiswal's ability to dominate the bowling opposition, even on challenging wickets, is a testament to his exceptional talent."On such a wicket, the rest of the great players were not able to hit any big runs. But this player, at such a young age, the way he is bowling, the way he is hitting the shots — he is a God's gift to cricket," added Tiwary.Jaiswal's impressive performances have not gone unnoticed. He has been included in India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, a testament to his growing stature in the Indian cricket team.With continued hard work and guidance, Yashasvi Jaiswal has the potential to fulfill his promise and become one of the most successful cricketers of his generation. His talent, determination, and unwavering belief in his abilities make him a player to watch in the years to come.

Former Indian batsman Manoj Tiwary has expressed his concerns over the Indian cricket team's recent Test series loss to New Zealand, criticizing captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir for their approach and team selection.Tiwary believes that India's downfall began with Rohit's decision to bat first in the rain-affected series opener in Bengaluru. "India's biggest enemy was the weather in Bengaluru, because they had prepared a turning track. After winning the toss India had the opportunity to field, but I don't know why they opted to bat first, and that is where it all started," Tiwary told Cricbuzz.He also criticized the team selection, particularly the inclusion of Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav and the omission of Akash Deep in the first Test. "You already have a spin-bowling all-rounder in Axar Patel, who picked up wickets in spinning conditions previously. But you ignored him and then benched Kuldeep in the second Test. You did not play Akash Deep in Bengaluru, but included him in the second Test, where you did not give him the ball in the second innings. Then you did not start with Jasprit Bumrah in the attack. All these things will backfired," he added.Tiwary warned that these selection calls could lead to disturbances and even cracks within the team. "What this will lead to is in the coming days there will be a lot of disturbances in the team, there will be cracks in the team," he said.Rohit and Gambhir will be under pressure to turn things around in the third and final Test, starting November 1, before the crucial tour of Australia next month. India will play five Tests Down Under, with the series likely to determine their fate in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has called for the inclusion of a prolific domestic run-scorer in the national team setup. In the wake of India's disastrous collapse to 46 all out in the first Test against New Zealand, Tiwary has questioned the place of KL Rahul in the side.Tiwary has pointed to the success of Sarfaraz Khan for India, who was promoted up the order and flourished at No. 4. He believes that Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has slammed four centuries in his last four first-class games, should be given a chance in the India playing XI.Tiwary highlighted Rahul's poor average in Test cricket, which stands at 33.98 after 91 innings. He argued that India has a pool of talented batters who are performing consistently in domestic cricket and deserve an opportunity."You need performances on a consistent basis, which should be checked in a 1:3 ratio," said Tiwary. "If you look at his (Easwaran's) numbers, there were hardly any innings in the last few matches he played where he did not score a century. So bring him in, and try him as a middle-order batter, given that he is in form. Why not?"Easwaran, who Tiwary has captained for Bengal, recently scored a stunning 191 for Rest of India against Mumbai in the Irani Cup 2024. He has also been a part of the India setup as a standby player.Tiwary believes that Easwaran's form and versatility make him a suitable candidate for the middle order. He suggested that the selectors should experiment with different combinations to find the best possible lineup."India has a lot of options, and they should try different players in different positions," said Tiwary. "If you are not getting the results, you need to change something. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results."

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has expressed concerns over the captaincy of Hardik Pandya, suggesting that the Mumbai Indians (MI) may struggle to qualify for the playoffs if Pandya's approach continues.Tiwary criticized Pandya's decision-making during MI's recent defeat to the Rajasthan Royals. He questioned Pandya's choice to open the bowling himself instead of entrusting the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah, widely regarded as one of the best pacers in the world."If you have Jasprit Bumrah in the line-up, why will you not bowl him in the first over?" Tiwary said. "Buttler came off a hundred, Jaiswal was not in the best form, you need to give your best bowler the best chance of picking a wicket."Tiwary believes that Pandya's decision to bowl himself allowed the Rajasthan Royals batsmen to settle in and take advantage of the new ball. He also pointed out that MI's current position in the league table is concerning, as they have played more matches than teams above them."I don't see MI progressing in the points table because these silly mistakes are being made," Tiwary added.Tiwary concluded by suggesting that MI players may not have fully embraced Pandya as their captain. He believes that the team's performance under Rohit Sharma was more consistent and that Pandya may need to adjust his leadership style to achieve similar success."If this kind of captaincy continues, MI are not making the playoffs," Tiwary said. "Previously, players were with Rohit Sharma. Now it feels like that MI players have not bought into Hardik Pandya as the captain of the side."

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), a perennial underachiever in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has once again disappointed its fans in the 2024 season. With six defeats in seven matches, RCB languishes at the bottom of the 10-team points table.Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag believes the lack of Indian support staff is a major issue for RCB. "If you have 12-15 Indian players, just 10 overseas and your entire staff is made of foreigners, that's an issue," Sehwag said. "Players need a comfort level which they are not getting presently."Manoj Tiwary, another former India player, points to poor recruitment as another problem. "All the good players of this franchise leave to go and play for other teams," Tiwary said. "You let them go. You don't persist with Virat Kohli's captaincy."Tiwary also criticized RCB's bowling, calling it "not a problem." "They don't have a specialist spinner," he said. "You're making Will Jacks open the bowling. Sometimes Mahipal Lomror and even some of the on-field captaincy calls are terrible."Despite the dismal start, RCB still has a mathematical chance of making the playoffs. However, they will need to win almost all of their remaining matches and hope for other results to go their way.

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has sparked a debate by advocating for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shivam Dube's inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad over Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya. Tiwary's stance stems from Hardik's limited bowling contributions in the ongoing IPL season, where he has bowled only one over in the last three matches.Tiwary believes that Hardik's bowling credentials are crucial for his selection in the T20 World Cup squad. He pointed out that Hardik's economy rate of over 11 runs per over is a concern. "If he wants to play in the Indian T20 World Cup team as an all-rounder, he has to bowl," Tiwary emphasized.In contrast, Tiwary praised Dube's bowling abilities, highlighting his impressive performance in the T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this year. He described Dube as a "clever" bowler who can be an effective replacement for Hardik.Tiwary also criticized CSK's usage of Dube as an impact substitute, arguing that it has hindered his development as a bowler. He believes that if Dube is not selected for the T20 World Cup, CSK will bear some responsibility for his exclusion.Tiwary's comments have sparked a discussion about the balance of the Indian T20 World Cup squad. With Hardik's form and bowling contributions under scrutiny, Dube has emerged as a potential contender for a place in the team.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Wednesday witnessed a high-scoring affair, with a combined 523 runs scored. SRH posted a formidable 277/3, while MI fell short by 31 runs despite a valiant effort.Former India star Manoj Tiwary expressed disappointment with MI skipper Hardik Pandya's performance. Tiwary criticized Pandya's strike rate of 120, stating that a "big-hitting player" like him should have attempted more boundaries in a high-scoring match."Hardik Pandya is a big-hitting player, but he struck at only 120. Yes, the bowling was good at that time, but one thing that irked me was the shots he hit against back-of-length. He was hitting the shots down the ground," Tiwary said."Generally, when the asking rate is 14-15, and you have such a big player, you'd want them to at least try for a six. Attempting to get a single or two, or even a four, wasn't the demand of the situation. That irked me. And that shows he is not in good form," he added.Pandya, however, defended his team's performance, acknowledging the quality of SRH's batting and the challenges faced by their young bowling attack. He praised Proteas pacer Kwena Maphaka for his impressive debut."Wicket was good, 277 no matter how bad or good you bowl, if the opposition has to score that much, they have batted well. They (the bowlers) were good, it was tough out there, almost 500 runs were scored and the wicket was helping the batters, we could have done a few things here and there, but having said that, we have a young bowling attack and we will learn," Pandya said."He (Kwena Maphaka) was fantastic, coming into his first game and getting overwhelmed, he was alright and backed his skillset, just needs some game time," he added.Despite the loss, MI showed signs of improvement, with several batters performing well. The team will look to address their bowling concerns and bounce back in their upcoming matches.

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary believes that Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will face a "bit louder" booing during the team's first home IPL game on April 1. However, Tiwary also believes that Pandya has the composure to handle it.Before the season began, Pandya took over as captain of MI in lieu of Rohit Sharma. On Sunday, when the team played against his former team, Gujarat Titans, Ahmedabad supporters jeered him. MI were defeated by six runs in the contest, and they will play their first home game at Wankhede Stadium on Monday against Rajasthan Royals."You have to see how he gets welcomed here in Mumbai because I think he is going to get booed a bit louder here...Because as a fan, Mumbai fan or a Rohit Sharma fan, nobody expected that captaincy will be given to Hardik," Tiwary told PTI Videos in an interview."And despite Rohit giving five trophies to Mumbai Indians, he has to lose the captaincy. I don't know what are the reasons but I think it has not gone down well with the fans. And that is the reaction which you see on the field," he explained.Nonetheless, Tiwary finds Pandya's handling of the criticism from fans impressive."...knowing him, whatever I have been observing of late through television, that despite getting booed, he kept his calm, he kept his nerve, which is the sign of a good temperament," he said.The 38-year-old, West Bengal's minister of sports, stated that Pandya needs to tune out the distractions and concentrate on his game in order to be ready for the T20 World Cup, which gets underway in the Americas on June 1."I believe even if he was not booed, he has to perform well to get into the Indian team to play the World cup. Because it is important for all the players to perform well and be fit as well to be available for selection.""And him being the number one all-rounder...obviously he has to be in form and to be in form he has to perform," he said.Tiwary also commented on Rishabh Pant's comeback from a life-threatening car accident in 2022. He believes the big-hitter would be back to his devastating best very soon thanks to the unflinching support of the Delhi franchise."First of all, he's not going to be any burden. In fact, it's going to be more positive impact which he brings along with him because as a player, he's one of the most talented cricketers in India, in fact in the world cricket right now," he pointed out."Obviously in the first game, he did not look at his fluent best but that is obvious because it's not easy after coming back from injury...But the intent was good from him. With a few more matches, he will be back in his elements as a match-winner," Tiwary said.Tiwary said the backing of coach Ricky Ponting and mentor Sourav Ganguly has been a key factor in aiding Pant's comeback."From last year itself, the coach of the team, Ricky Ponting, brought him into the dugout...if we all can recollect, two months ago, Sourav Ganguly said that he's going to be the captain.""So when the mentor and the coach wants him in the team from very early, that means they are not thinking him as a burden. Even if he doesn't score runs, he is still their captain, he is their leader," he said.

BCCI's Domestic Cricket Mandate: A Step Towards Preserving TraditionFormer Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has lauded the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to mandate players to participate in domestic cricket. This move aims to safeguard the integrity and competitiveness of tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, which have been overshadowed by the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).Tiwary, who recently retired from cricket, believes that the BCCI's mandate is crucial for the survival of domestic cricket. He has observed a shift in players' priorities, with many prioritizing IPL contracts over domestic performances."Youngsters and established players speak only about IPL during domestic matches," Tiwary said. "When you get 5 cr or 7 cr, players start thinking in their subconsciousness."This mindset has led to players faking injuries to avoid exerting themselves in domestic matches, Tiwary revealed. "They try to avoid the last bit of effort required to dive and save a boundary that might have been crucial for the domestic team," he said.The BCCI's mandate has been met with mixed reactions. While some former cricketers and experts have praised the move, others have called for it to be applied equally to all players.Despite the criticism, the BCCI's decision is a step in the right direction. It sends a clear message that domestic cricket remains a vital part of the Indian cricket ecosystem. By ensuring that players are available for their respective teams, the BCCI is safeguarding the integrity and competitiveness of these tournaments.In addition to preserving tradition, the BCCI's mandate also serves a practical purpose. It provides players with an opportunity to maintain their fitness and form during the off-season. By participating in domestic cricket, players can stay sharp and ready for international duty.The BCCI's decision is a bold one, but it is necessary to ensure the long-term health of Indian cricket. By prioritizing domestic cricket, the BCCI is investing in the future of the game and ensuring that the Ranji Trophy and other tournaments continue to produce world-class players.