Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwari lost his cool in an interview where he targeted MS Dhoni, widely known as “Captain Cool.” The controversy arose when Tiwari criticized Dhoni, accusing him of favoritism and saying he was sidelined and not backed by Dhoni during his playing career. Tiwari mentioned that despite strong performances, including a century against the West Indies, he was dropped from the team without clear explanation and claimed that Dhoni only supported a few preferred players. He also reacted sharply to the rumors about Dhoni being made the mentor of Team India, expressing skepticism about whether Dhoni would even respond to such an offer.
Tiwari’s comments suggested he felt personally disliked by Dhoni and hinted at bias affecting team selections. Despite praising Dhoni’s leadership, Tiwari’s remarks have sparked a debate on the role of personal preferences in Indian cricket selection and Dhoni’s relationship with players during his captaincy. Tiwari also made a notable statement mentioning that Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir as mentors would be an interesting duo, but he expressed doubts about Dhoni’s involvement or response regarding the mentoring role.
Manoj Tiwari’s Fresh Swipe At MS Dhoni Amid India Mentorship Rumours
MS Dhoni possibly being made the mentor for Team India in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Manoj expressed frustration over the rumor, highlighting that Dhoni has yet to respond or take a call regarding the mentorship offer from BCCI. Manoj also raised doubts about the impact Dhoni could have if he does accept.
Dhoni rarely answers calls or messages
He mentioned it is indeed difficult to get a response from MS Dhoni via phone or messages. He said, “Wo phone uthaye hain na?” (Have they even picked up the phone?), implying that Dhoni rarely picks up calls, and the reply to messages is also very uncommon. Tiwari added that many players have also expressed that it is difficult to connect with Dhoni through these means, and it is uncertain whether Dhoni even reads or replies to messages. This comment came amid rumors of BCCI offering Dhoni the role of team mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which Dhoni’s response or acceptance of which remains unclear.
Cricket Career of Manoj Tiwari
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | HS | 100s | 50s |
| ODIs | 12 | 287 | 26.09 | 104 | 1 | 1 |
| T20 | 3 | 15 | 15.00 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 98 | 1695 | – | – | – | – |
| First Class (FC) | 119 | 8752 | 51.78 | 303* | – | – |
| List A | 163 | 5466 | 42.37 | – | – | – |
The interview clips and statements went viral on social media, highlighting the tension and criticism from Tiwari against Dhoni in this recent interaction.
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