Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Hours before KKRs defeat at the Wankhede on Tuesday a result that has put them on the brink of elimination came an ugly incident that suggested that the defending champions might be combusting off the field as well.
Batsman Manoj Tiwary,who last played for KKR on April 24 and was left out of both Tuesdays match and the preceding game on May 3,tweeted that Tuesday was the worst day of his cricketing career. Never ever gonna digest dis day all my life, Tiwary wrote an hour before the start of the game.
Some two and a half hours later,Tiwary disowned the tweet. Hi frnds .. My twitter account was hacked,someone sent misleadin tweets about being my worst day etc. Im perfectly fine, he tweeted.
But sources who attended KKRs selection meeting earlier in the day confirmed that the Bengal Ranji captain had stormed out after he was told that he was not even among the reserves for the Mumbai game.
The KKR team management decided that only 15 players,including the reserves,would travel to the Wankhede,and Tiwary,India pacer Shami Ahmed,Sarabjit Ladda and Pradeep Sangwan were asked to stay back at the hotel. The visitors dressing room at Wankhede wasnt big enough to accommodate the entire contingent,they were told.
What apparently upset Tiwary further was that two of the four reserves were non-Bengal players Sumit Narwal and Paras Dogra and the other two were foreigners,Sachithra Senanayake and Ryan ten Doeschate.
He asked coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Gautam Gambhir why he had been left out,but apparently did not get a satisfactory answer. Tiwary was also learnt to have demanded to know why Shami Ahmed,who has played five ODIs for India this year,was not picked.
Tiwary then allegedly approached KKR co-owner Jay Mehta in a rage,questioned his knowledge of the game,and asked him if he and the other owners of the team knew what they were doing.
He was very angry and he gave it to Jay. He didnt expect to get such a raw deal,being an India player, a KKR source said on condition of anonymity.
Tiwary has played eight ODIs for India for an average of nearly 36,and scored one century. He was the first player from Bengal to wear India colours after Sourav Gangulys departure from the game.
