Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Nitish Rana criticized Manoj Tiwari after the national team suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. (Manoj Tiwary) has strongly defended Indian cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir following his recent criticism.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman called Gautam Gambhir a “hypocrite” and criticized the coach for pushing India skipper Rohit Sharma to the forefront to handle all the issues. Tiwary also questioned Gambhir’s success at KKR, suggesting that he could take credit for the team’s performance through his promotional game.
Performance doesn’t need PR. Nitish Rana blames Manoj Tiwary.
Reacting to the controversial remarks, Nitish Rana, who played with Gambhir in Delhi and KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL), dismissed the claims, terming them as Manoj Tiwari’s insecurities. Highlighting Gambhir’s positive influence, Rana added that the legendary cricketer’s contribution to KKR’s triumph goes far beyond the limelight.
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Slamming Manoj Tiwary, Nitish Rana posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle: “Criticism should be based on facts, not personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most dedicated players I have ever met. He bears more responsibility than anyone else in times of hardship. Achievements don’t need PR. The trophy speaks for itself.”
Criticism should be based on facts, not personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most dedicated players I have ever met. He bears more responsibility than anyone else in times of hardship. Achievements don’t need PR. The trophies speak for themselves.
— Nitish Rana (@NitishRana_27) January 9, 2025
Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite: Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary has criticized India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Abhishek Nayar, questioning their values and accusing them of blindly agreeing with what head coach Gautam Gambhir says. He labeled Gambhir a “hypocrite”, claiming the Indian bishop does not practice what he preaches.
Manoj Tiwary was quoted by News18 Bangla as saying: “What good is a bowling coach? No matter what the coach says, he will agree. Morne Morkel is from Lucknow Super Giants. Abhishek Nayar was with Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders and the Indian coach has a comfort zone with him. Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite. He doesn’t do what he says. The captain is from Mumbai. Abhishek Nayar is from Mumbai. Rohit was pushed to the forefront by them to handle all the issues.”
Also Read: Recent blasts have taken Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma’s critics to the cleaners.
Manoj Tiwary said Gautam Gambhir did not single-handedly guide KKR to the IPL title.
Manoj Tiwary also spoke about the strained relationship between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma and questioned how they can work together effectively. Tiwary highlighted his contrasting leadership experiences. Tiwary also said that Gambhir did not win the IPL title alone as the entire team, including players like Jacques Kallis and Sunil Narine, contributed to the success. Tiwary also pointed out that Gambhir took a lot of credit for KKR’s performance.
Tiwary asked, “How will they work together? Rohit is a World Cup winning captain. Gambhir led KKR to the IPL title as captain and mentor. Gambhir didn’t lead KKR to the title alone as we all worked as a unit. Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, and I all contributed to this movement. But who gets the credit?”
Notably, India has lost six out of 10 Tests since Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. Under Gambhir’s leadership, India lost the ODI series to Sri Lanka. Gambhir’s next major challenge is the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
