Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has slammed India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate over his recent comments on Rohit Sharma’s form.

After Rohit registered scores of 26 and 24 in the first two ODIs against New Zealand, ten Doeschate suggested that the veteran opener is "short on cricket".

Rohit had returned to international cricket with a bang on the tour of Australia last October, batting the Player-of-the-Series award. He carried that momentum into the home series against South Africa and the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai.

The 38-year-old, however, failed to convert his starts in the opening two ODI matches against New Zealand.

“With a lot of respect, I would like to tell Ryan ten Doeschate that he was with me for four years at KKR. No doubt he is a very good person, but the kind of comment he has made, I think he should have thought about it. He has also played international cricket for the Netherlands, but if you look at his international record, I say this with all due respect—it is not even 5% of what Rohit has achieved in his career, not just as a batter but also as a captain,” Tiwary said while speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a recent event.

Tiwary called the comment demoralising, especially given it came from a member of the support staff, and asked the Dutchman to reflect on his words.

“He has given the nation so much happiness by winning the Champions Trophy also and after that, talking like this, that too when he is in the team, not like he is sitting at home and commenting, he is a part of the management, and telling like this about your player is demoralising. I don’t know why he said that. He has to reflect on this. I feel he must not make such comments,” Tiwary added.

The series-deciding third ODI will be played in Indore on Sunday (January 18). Following the 50-over series, India and New Zealand will square off in a five-T20I series, which will be a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup 2026 starting next month.