Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Manoj Tiwary has openly criticised current senior national team head coach Gautam Gambhir, branding him a "hypocrite" for not practicing what he preaches. Tiwary and Gambhir, former teammates in both the Indian Premier League and the Delhi state team, have had a contentious relationship.

Tiwary’s criticism of Gambhir’s leadership follows India’s underwhelming Test performances against Australia and New Zealand. While Gambhir faces mixed reactions for his decisions, debutant Harshit Rana defended him—a move Tiwary deemed predictable.

"Why wouldn't Nitish Rana and Harshit Rana, for example, support Gautam Gambhir? Harshit Rana played in Perth in place of Akash Deep. How was that possible? What did Akash Deep do wrong? He bowled fantastic spells against Bangladesh and New Zealand. As a fast bowler, you dream about bowling in friendly conditions, but you dropped him and went in with Harshit, who doesn't have that much first-class experience. Akash Deep has fabulous records. That is a completely biased selection. That is why players will come out and defend him," said Tiwary in a chat with Hindustan Times.

"I have said nothing wrong. This is the PR that I am talking about. That never used to happen. When something or someone speaks the facts, people come up defending the individual, but they don't know me. I only speak on facts. PR is quite evident," he added.

Manoj Tiwary further reignited old controversies surrounding his relationship with Gautam Gambhir, claiming that the former India batter had once abused his family and made derogatory remarks about former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Tiwary’s comments have added fuel to the ongoing criticism of Gambhir, further highlighting the strained dynamics between the two players.

Tiwary expressed scepticism about Gambhir's decisions in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, questioning the choice of players such as Harshit Rana and Devdutt Padikkal over seasoned first-class cricket performers.

“How was Devdutt Padikkal included in the Test squad? He was out of the equation. How did he come into the mix when Abhimanyu Easwaran was there, scoring so many runs nonstop? He has scored so many runs. Why wasn't he selected and not played at No. 3? These are the kinds of things happening, and the results are there for everyone to see," he asserted.