Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary recently spoke out on the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket, pointing to a difficult team atmosphere as the driving factor behind their decisions.
According to Tiwary, both these iconic players had a strong desire to continue playing Test cricket but felt compelled to step away due to the environment surrounding the team.
Tiwary expressed disagreement with the prevalent narrative of the Indian cricket team being in a "transition phase," which has been used to explain recent struggles and results.
He argued that unlike smaller cricketing nations, India does not need a transition given its vast pool of domestic talent ready to perform at the highest level. The ex-cricketer emphasized, "The whole 'transition phase' talk-I don't agree with it. India doesn't need a transition. New Zealand or Zimbabwe need transition. Our domestic cricket is full of talented performers waiting for chances. "
He criticized how the transition process seemed to sideline senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who were still eager to play Test cricket and uphold its legacy. Tiwary believes it was the atmosphere created by this forced phase-out that led these stars to slowly withdraw from the format:
"Because of this unnecessary transition, our star players-like Virat and Rohit-who wanted to keep playing Test cricket and protect its sanctity, slowly stepped back because of the atmosphere created around them," Tiwary said to India Today.
In addition to discussing player retirements, the former Bengal player took aim at the team's coaching approach, particularly Gautam Gambhir's recent remarks attributing the team's first Test loss against South Africa to a "transition" and criticizing batsmen's technique against spin bowling.
Tiwary argued that a coach's role is to guide and develop players, not place blame. He highlighted Gambhir's own proficiency against spin during his playing days and suggested that this expertise should translate into better coaching.
"You cannot blame players' technique after losing. As a coach, your job is to teach, not to blame. If the batters didn't have solid defence, why weren't they trained before the match? When he played, Gambhir himself was a good player of spin, so he should teach more. The results aren't in India's favour," he added.
India currently face a tough challenge after losing the first Test in Kolkata against South Africa, with the second Test in Guwahati becoming crucial to avoid a consecutive home series defeat.
