Manoj Tiwary Alleges Gautam Gambhir’s Role in Rohit Sharma’s ODI Captaincy Exit

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary had claimed that Gautam Gambhir played a behind-the-scenes role in Rohit Sharma’s removal as India’s ODI captain.

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary reignited the debate over Rohit Sharma’s removal as India’s ODI captain by making serious allegations against head coach Gautam Gambhir. Tiwary suggested that Gambhir may have influenced chief selector Ajit Agarkar in taking the call, a move he felt did not honour one of India’s most successful white-ball captains.

Tiwary said such major decisions are rarely taken in isolation and questioned whether Agarkar acted entirely on his own while removing Rohit from the leadership role.

“I don’t know what the main cause is. But knowing Ajit Agarkar, he is a personality. He is a decision maker. He will not take a step back in taking such steps. But whether he was influenced by someone to fire the gun from his shoulder is something we need to look at,” Tiwary told Sports Today.

He further stated that the responsibility for Rohit Sharma’s exit does not lie with one individual alone and hinted at the coach-selector dynamic behind the scenes.

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“A lot of things happen behind the scenes, which makes 1+1 2. Maybe the decision was made by the chief selector, and he was very upfront about it. Naturally, the coach’s inputs must be there. You cannot make the decision on your own. Both are equally responsible for whatever decision was made,” he added.

Manoj Tiwary also spoke emotionally about Rohit Sharma’s removal and admitted that the decision affected him deeply as a fan and former teammate. He said the move reduced his interest in watching India’s ODI matches.

“See, there has been a lot of inconsistency in picking the playing XI, in my opinion. If I have to be brutally honest with you, I have lost interest in watching the ODI games. The things that have panned out of late, when the T20 World Cup-winning captain and the Champions Trophy-winning captain are removed from the captaincy, and the responsibility is given to the new guy, which I felt was not required,” Tiwary concluded.