'Let's join hands to work for Bengal' - Manoj Tiwary welcomes Yusuf Pathan to Trinamool Congress

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary congratulated his former teammate Yusuf Pathan on joining politics on Sunday, March 10. Notably, Pathan will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for Trinamool Congress (TMC) from the Baharampur constituency in West Bengal. The former India cricketer is among TMC’s 42 candidates for the upcoming General elections which also includes 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad.

As Pathan prepares himself for his new innings on the Politics pitch, Manoj Tiwary extended his heartfelt wishes for his old teammate. Tiwary, who’s currently the Sports Minister of Bengal, wished him all the best for his new journey as he recalled their playing days.

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“From winning the @IPL trophy together for @KKRiders to make uncountable memories, we have completed a circle today. Welcome to @AITCofficial my friend @iamyusufpathan. I wish you all the best for the forthcoming Parliament Eleection. Let's join hands to work for Bengal in the leadership of our beloved and respected CM @MamataOfficial and our favourite youth icon @abhishekaitc. ✊,” wrote Tiwary on his X account.

Notably, Tiwary and Pathan played together for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during IPL 2012 when the franchise won its first-ever title under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. The duo also played for India together in 2011 on the tour of the West Indies.

Manoj Tiwary recently retired from Red Ball cricket

Tiwary recently retired from red-ball cricket after Bengal’s last game of Ranji Trophy 2024 against Bihar at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The 38-year-old scored 10,195 runs in his first-class career from 148 matches at an average of 47.86 with 30 hundreds and 45 fifties. He also represented India in 12 ODIs and three T20Is and has one century and a fifty to his name in the fifty-over format.

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On the other hand, Yusuf Pathan was a part of KKR’s second title win as well in 2014 where he played a crucial knock of 36 (22) in the final against Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings). The explosive batter was also a part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad.