New Delhi: India discard Manoj Tiwary, who was involved in an ugly on-field altercation with Gautam Gambhir in a Ranji Trophy match, on Sunday claimed that the Delhi skipper had made racist remarks about former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and Bengalis.
“He made racist remarks made about Sourav Ganguly and Bengalis. I spoke to Sourav Ganguly and he is very upset that his name has been dragged in the matter. We will never accept anything against Sourav Ganguly,” Tiwary said.
“Gautam Gambhir is not saying the truth. If I had done what Gambhir is saying why have I been fined 40 per cent and him 70 per cent,” the Bengal cricketer added.
Gambhir and Tiwary nearly came to blows on the third day of the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Bengal at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here on Saturday and umpire K. Srikanth had to step in to defuse the situation. The two players were summoned for a hearing after the day’s play by Match Referee Valmick Buch.
Buch has said that detailed report has gone to BCCI and they will now decide the quantum of punishment.
“I don’t mind sledging but abusing someone’s mother is not right,” Tiwary said.
The incident happened in the eighth over on Saturday when Partha Sarathi Bhattacharjee got out of Manan Sharma’s bowling and Tiwary came in to bat at No. 4 wearing a cap.
Tiwary first took guard and was about to take strike. But he stopped the bowler and signalled at the dressing room to bring his helmet as a pacer was operating from the other end.
Delhi players felt that it was a deliberate time-wasting tactic. Manan ticked off Manoj and he told him to lay off. All of a sudden, Gambhir, at first slip, got into the action and started abusing the Bengal skipper who then retaliated.
