Manoj Tiwary is widely regarded as one of the giants of Indian domestic cricket. The former Bengal skipper returned from all forms of cricket last year.
During his professional career spanning nearly 20 years, Tiwary represented India in 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is while he didn’t get a chance to play Test cricket.
Playing his sixth ODI, the right-hander scored a match-winning 104* against the West Indies in December 2011 in Chennai. But he was dropped from the team and did not feature in the next 14 games.
Recently, Tiwary narrated a story leading up to that memorable hundred. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to the legendary Virender Sehwag for his solitary ton in international cricket.
Just before the Chennai ODI, Sehwag had slammed a career-best 219 against the West Indies in Indore. However, he decided to drop himself in the next match to pave the way for Tiwary’s inclusion in the playing XI.
"He [Sehwag] is my idol. I will be indebted to him till my last breath. Because if he didn't drop himself, my life would have been different. When Virender Sehwag, [Gautam ]Gambhir bhai and I had good relations, and I was part of the team for 7 years in and out, Viru bhai saw that I wasn't getting chances or being shuffled up and down. Sometimes, I would suddenly made to open, then then bat at 5; he observed that I was not given justice," Tiwary said on The Lallantop.
"The series in which he scored a double hundred (in Indore). He rested himself and told Gambhir that we have to make him play and bat at No. 4. In the bus, Viru bhai asked me, where do you want to bat. I said I just want to bat for the country. When he insisted, I told him, I've always batted at No. 4. So then he conveyed it to him [Gambhir]," he added.
Manoj Tiwary's century came under the most dramatic of circumstances. Batting first, India were reduced to 1/2, but he forged crucial partnerships with Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli to take the team to 267/6 in 50 overs.
After completing his century, Tiwary had to be retired hurt as cramps cut short his knock on 104.
