Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has lambasted the national team’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate for his comments on senior opener Rohit Sharma’s lack of preparedness after the second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot. The 38-year-old Rohit, who had entered the 2026 calendar year as the No. 1 ODI batter, could not convert his starts in both innings in the series, falling for scores of 26 and 24, respectively. Shortly after the Kiwis levelled the series with a thumping win in the second ODI, Doeschate had reflected on Rohit being short on match time as a reason why he could not convert his starts after seeing off the new ball. Speaking at a recent event, Tiwary slammed his former IPL teammate for his comments in the press conference, affirming that the statements did not bode well when it came from within the dressing room. “With a lot of respect, I would like to tell Ryan Ten Doeschate that he was with me for four years at KKR. No doubt 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. If you look at his performance in international cricket, I am saying this with all due respect, it is not even 5% of what Rohit has achieved in his career, not just as a batter but also as a captain,” Tiwary told PTI. VIDEO | Former India cricketer and politician Manoj Tiwary came out strongly in defence of Rohit Sharma, saying recent comments by assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate could dent the Indian captain’s confidence and undermine his immense contribution to Indian cricket. On Bangladesh… pic.twitter.com/slpzEnx4hJ — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 15, 2026 ‘Short on cricket’ When asked about Rohit’s shifting batting style on Wednesday night, Doeschate told reporters: “I don’t think it’s a conscious approach. He’s such a brutal player, but he’s actually a touch player at the end of the day. He times the ball… so as soon as the wickets aren’t very good, it’s going to be difficult for him to look in fluent mode like he normally is.” “He’s definitely not the sort of guy to play for himself. It’s just a combination of the wickets being slightly difficult and maybe just being a little bit short on cricket leading into the series,” he added. The Dutchman would also go on to say that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy invariably did not contribute on days where he was expected to fire when presented with an opportunity. Tiwary said it was demoralising for the players involved to come across such comments from their immediate backroom stff. Story continues below this ad “He has given the nation so much happiness by winning the Champions Trophy also and after that, talking like this, that too when he is in the team, not like he is sitting at home and commenting, he is a part of the management, and telling like this about your player is demoralising. I don’t know why he said that. He has to reflect on this. I feel he must not make such comments,” Tiwary added. Rohit had cracked his 33rd ODI century in Sydney against Australia in October 2025 and later backed it up with two fifties in the 2-1 series win against South Africa last month. He later turned up for Mumbai in two rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, slamming a century and a duck in Jaipur.
‘Not even 5% of Rohit Sharma’s achievements’: Manoj Tiwary blasts India assistant coach Ten Doeschate for ‘demoralising’ comment
