Former Team India batsman Manoj Tiwari has taken a dig at assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate after his comments on Rohit Sharma after the second ODI against New Zealand. Tiwari said such comments were inappropriate considering Rohit’s stature and achievements for India in international cricket.
Ten Doeschate had said that Rohit Sharma did not have enough match practice before the home ODI series against New Zealand. Rohit, who started the 2026 calendar year as the world No. 1 ODI batsman, scored 26 and 24 runs in the first two matches. He failed to convert those starts after being introduced to the new ball.
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“He should have thought about it” – Manoj Tiwary on Ryan ten Doeschate’s comment on Rohit Sharma
Speaking at an event recently, Manoj Tiwary said that he knows Ryan ten Doeschate well during his time at Kolkata Knight Riders and respects him as a person. Tiwari said that Ten Doeschate should have avoided making public comments about a senior player like Rohit Sharma.
Tiwari said, “With great respect, I would like to tell Ryan ten Doeschate that he was with me for four years at KKR. There is no doubt that he is a very good person, but the kind of comment he has made, I think he should have thought about it.”
“He has also played international cricket for the Netherlands, but if you look at his international record, I say this with all respect – it is not even 5% of what Rohit has achieved in his career, not only as a batsman but also as a captain,” he said.
Rohit Sharma has given a lot of happiness to the country – Manoj Tiwari
Manoj Tiwari said that the comments made by Ryan ten Doeschate from inside the dressing room were demoralizing. Tiwari pointed out that Rohit Sharma has brought great success to India including winning the Champions Trophy and said such achievements deserve respect.
Tiwari said, “He has given a lot of happiness to the country by winning the Champions Trophy and saying such things after that, that too when he is in the team, it is not that he is sitting at home and commenting, he is part of the management and talking about your player like this is demoralizing. I don’t know why he said this. He has to think about it. I think he should not make such comments.”
Rohit Sharma’s recent ODI form before the series decider
Rohit returned to international cricket in October and made an immediate impact. He scored a half-century and a century in the ODI series in Australia, winning the Player of the Series award, and continued that form in the home series against South Africa.
Sharma also recorded his 33rd ODI century in Sydney in October 2025 and followed it up with two fifties in India’s 2-1 series win over South Africa. He later played domestic cricket for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored a century and a duck at Jaipur.
However, the 38-year-old has not made the best of his start in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. India won the first ODI by four wickets but lost the second ODI by seven wickets, leveling the three-match series at 1–1. The last ODI will be played in Indore on 18 January.
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