Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has strongly reacted to assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate’s recent comments about Rohit Sharma’s performance in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand.
Ten Doeschate had suggested that Rohit looked short on match practice after scoring 26 and 24 in the first two matches, which allowed New Zealand to level the series with a strong win in Rajkot. Tiwary felt that such a remark coming from someone inside the team management was unnecessary and could affect a senior player’s confidence, especially considering Rohit’s long career and major achievements for India.
Tiwary reminded that Rohit Sharma had already made an impressive return to international cricket in October 2025 against Australia, where he scored a fifty, hit his 33rd ODI century, and won the Player of the Series award.
He also pointed out that Rohit continued his good form in the series against South Africa last month, scoring two more half-centuries in India’s 2-1 victory. Tiwary added that Rohit had also played two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Mumbai recently, including a century in the opening match, which clearly showed he was not lacking cricket practice before facing New Zealand.
Speaking to PTI during an event, Tiwary did not hold back while expressing his disappointment. He said he respects Ryan ten Doeschate as a person and also shared that they were teammates for four years at Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he said that Ten Doeschate should have been more careful before commenting publicly about a player of Rohit Sharma’s stature.
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Tiwary went on to say that Ten Doeschate does not have even five percent of the achievements that Rohit has earned in his career, not just as a batter but also as a captain who played a major role in bringing success to the country, including the Champions Trophy win. He called the comments demoralizing and asked the assistant coach to reflect and avoid making such statements in the future.
Ryan ten Doeschate had explained that Rohit was adjusting his batting approach because pitches had been challenging and because he had less game time compared to other players. He had said that Rohit relies more on timing than power, and therefore he needs rhythm to play freely.
Ten Doeschate also clarified that Rohit never plays for personal records, but needs more time in the middle. However, Tiwary argued that the explanation ignored Rohit’s experience, recent domestic matches, and strong performances over the last few months. He felt the whole discussion could have been avoided, especially before an important series decider.
India will face New Zealand in the final ODI of the series on January 18 in Indore, where Rohit Sharma will aim to respond with a strong performance. Rohit, who has already retired from Tests and T20Is, plans to take a break after this ODI series and return only for India’s tour of England in the summer. Despite the recent debate about his form, he remains India’s highest-ranked ODI batter entering 2026.