'Goodbye To The Game': Bengal Stalwart Manoj Tiwary Calls It Quits
Manoj Tiwary is a legendary figure in the domestic circuit (Instagram)
Indian cricketer, Manoj Tiwary, known for his significant contributions to domestic cricket, called time on his cricketing career on Thursday.
Manoj Tiwary announces his retirement from cricket
Tiwary, who also holds the post of West Bengal's Sports Minister, made the announcement via a heartfelt post on Instagram.
"Goodbye to the game of cricket. This game has given me everything; I mean every single thing that I had never dreamed of, starting from the times when my life was challenged by different forms of difficulties. Will ever be grateful to this game and to God, who has always been by my side throughout,” wrote Tiwary.
Tiwary's emotional farewell message was filled with emotions and deep gratitude to those who shaped his cricketing journey, including his teammates, fans, Cricket Association of Bengal, and his coach Manabendra Ghosh, who he considers a father figure.
"If he had not been there then I would have not reached anywhere in the cricketing circle," the champion cricketer stated, extending his wishes for Ghosh's health recovery as he is not keeping well.
The Bengal veteran also thanked his family, particularly his wife for standing by him, even when the tides were against him.
Meanwhile, Tiwary's career in international cricket began in 2008 where he represented India in 12 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 3 T20Is before playing his last game for the country in July 2015 against Zimbabwe.
His tally includes 287 runs in ODIs with an average of 26.09, having scored one hundred and one fifty. In T20Is, he scored 15 runs across three matches where he got the opportunity to bat only once.
Despite limited opportunities at the international level, Tiwary was a consistent performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ victorious campaign in 2012 and played crucial roles in other teams, including Rising Pune Supergiant's run to the final in 2017. His IPL career totals 98 matches with 1695 runs, scored at a strike rate of 117.
Furthermore, Tiwary is a legendary figure in Bengal cricket, having played 141 first-class matches, 169 List A, and 183 T20 matches for his state. He concluded his first-class career with 9902 runs at an impressive average of 48.56, along with 29 centuries and 45 fifties.
 "Jatin")
