'I will be indebted to him till my last breath' - Manoj Tiwary on how Virender Sehwag helped him in international career

The Indian team has had many talented players in the mix who were set to become the next big thing in the game. While some went on to achieve a lot of success, some just disappeared from the scene and are merely a footnote in Indian cricket's vast history. One of the cricketers who was considered a talented prospect was Bengal's Manoj Tiwary.

Tiwary established himself in domestic cricket, scoring over 10195 runs in First Class career and 5581 in the List A format. However, despite this record, he was only able to play 12 ODIs and three T20Is for the national side. Despite not having the best of careers, the 39-year-old has been very vocal about his experiences and praised the likes of Virender Sehwag and how he played a major role in him getting his first century in international cricket where he revealed that the Nawaj of Najafgarh had dropped himself to make sure he got a chance to play in the series against West Indies.

“He [Sehwag] is my idol. I will be indebted to him till my last breath. Because if he didn't drop himself, my life would have been different. When Virender Sehwag, [Gautam] Gambhir bhai and I had good relations, and I was part of the team for 7 years in and out, Viru bhai saw that I wasn't getting chances or being shuffled up and down. Sometimes, I would suddenly made to open, then bat at 5; he observed that I was not given justice," Tiwary said on The Lallantop.

“The series in which he scored a double hundred (in Indore). He rested himself and told Gambhir that we have to make him play and bat at No. 4. In the bus, Viru bhai asked me, where I wanted to bat. I said I just want to bat for the country. When he insisted, I told him, I've always batted at No. 4. So then he conveyed it to him [Gambhir],” the former cricketer added.

This decision from Sehwag turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Tiwary who went on to score his first international hundred during the match in Chennai scoring 104 from 126 deliveries and helping the Indian total get to a formidable total of 267. India went on to win that match by 34 runs.