‘Don't let that happen to any kid’ Harbhajan Singh to Manoj Tiwary

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary recently started his new innings in politics, and he didn’t take long in making a mark. He joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) just ahead of the West Bengal elections and has been given the portfolio of Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs. Contesting from the Shibpur Vidhansabha constituency in the Elections, the former Bengal captain defeated BJP candidate Rathindranath Chakraborty.

Tiwary received congratulatory messages from many of his loved ones after winning the elections. Veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh also congratulated his former teammate but in a controversial manner. While the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowler sent good luck wishes on Twitter, he sympathized with the former batsman while remembering his cricket career. Tiwary piled up a mountain of runs in the domestic circuit and also did reasonably well in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

However, he didn’t get many chances to play for the national team. The right-handed batsman did play some impressive knocks in the limited opportunities he got but couldn’t get a long run. In fact, he had to warm the benches for over six months after scoring his maiden ODI century against West Indies in December 2011. Recalling the hurdles in Tiwary’s cricket career, Harbhajan asked the former Bengal batsman to ensure that no kid goes through the challenges that came his way.

Harbhajan Singh congratulates Manoj Tiwary in a controversial tweet

“Congratulations @tiwarymanoj don’t let that happen to any kid which happened to your career..God bless you! All the Best,” wrote the 40-year-old spinner in a tweet which he went on to delete later.

In another tweet, Harbhajan made his opinion even more specific but mentioned the same thing. “Congratulations @tiwarymanoj .. with the hurdles you have faced in your career (after being such a magnificent player) I hope no aspiring cricketer goes through the same experience .. God bless you ! All the Best,” the KKR wrote while reacting to one of Tiwary’s post.

Making his international debut in February 2008, Tiwary was part of India’s squad for several series, but the rise of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma in the middle-order meant the Bengal batsman stayed away from the initial XI. He could represent India in just 12 ODIs and three T20Is, scoring 287 and 15 runs respectively. Nevertheless, Tiwary continued to serve Bengal cricket in the domestic circuit.