In addition to bringing him a lot of success, Gautam Gambhir's straightforward nature has also gotten him into problems. Even if his rivalry with some people—such as Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni—is more exaggerated than real, it is well known that he and Manoj Tiwary did not get along well. One of the most talked-about altercations in Indian cricket history was Gambhir and Tiwary's notorious fight during the 2015 Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Bengal at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. It turns out, though, that Tiwary and Gambhir's feud was not the first; rather, it was merely another episode.
Manoj Tiwary on fight with Gautam Gambhir
Tiwary has not held back from criticizing Gambhir in the past, and the former India batter has now attacked his old teammate in a new interview. Tiwary reminisced about his time with the Kolkata Knight Riders and how he and Gambhir got along well at first before things soured between them.
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"I would get scolded without any reason. I couldn't understand why he would target me. In fact, when I came to KKR in 2010, he and I got along nicely. But then he would lose his cool at me out of the blue. He would use very hurtful words. Then, when I started thinking about it, I realised that out of all the local boys at KKR, I was the one who used to perform consistently. And since I was a promising youngster, the media was giving me attention. So, he didn't react to it well. That is what I believe," Tiwary said on Lallantop.
"Leading up to our fight at the 2015 Ranji Trophy, he was angry at me. In KKR, we had an argument. I was constantly getting demoted in the KKR batting order. In one of the friendly matches against Australia, I was the highest scorer. I had scored 129, while he [Gambhir] scored 110. Even then, he lost his cool. I was applying sunscreen when he came to me and shouted, 'What are you doing here? Everybody else is on the ground'. Out of nowhere," he added.
Tiwary reveals incident when Wasim Akram intervened
Although Gambhir and Tiwary had previously had disagreements, an altercation that even KKR's assistant coach Wasim Akram witnessed appears to have permanently harmed their relationship. According to Tiwary, Gambhir threatened him and told him that the batter would never play for KKR again and that permanently destroyed their dynamic.
"Once, we had a heated argument about my batting position at the Eden Gardens. I was upset and had gone to the washroom. He barged in and said 'This attitude won't work. Tujhe kabhi khilaunga nahi (I won't give you a game). This and that. I never liked such words. He was giving me a threat. Aaj ke baad, tujhe kabhi khilaunga nahi. Wasim Akram also came in. He was our bowling coach, so he calmed things down. He said 'You are the captain. Cool down' He understood, he knew what was happening. He had said good things about my talent a few years ago," Tiwary said.
Tiwary clarified that although he did not speak with Shah Rukh Khan, the team's owner, about the event in the restroom, it served as the impetus for what happened at the Kotla in 2015. next their 2013 match, Tiwary was cut loose by KKR the next year and rejoined the Delhi Capitals (then known as the Daredevils) for the following two seasons.