Minister-cricketer Manoj Tiwary announces retirement as a player

FORMER INDIAN INTERNATIONAL turned politician Manoj Tiwary has retired from all forms of cricket.

Tiwary, who was primarily a batsman, played 12 ODIs and 3 T20 Internationals for India. He scored 1 century and 1 fifty.

He had a long career in first class cricket, appeaing in 119 matches and scoring 8,752 runs with an average of 51.78, including 27 centuries. His best innings was an unbeaten 303 runs against Hyderabad in Ranji Trophy.

In IPL, he played for over a decade for teams including Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab. His last IPL appearance came in 2018. But he continued playing for the Bengal state team till retirement.

He has also been active in politics since 2021 and currently serves as the Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports in the West Bengal state government. It's highly unusual for an active sportsperson to serve in such a demanding ministerial position but for the last two years he has done so.

His retirement comes a the age of 38, as one of the longest serving captains of the Bengal team.

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