Indian cricket has seen many talented players who couldn't fully realize their potential for various reasons, and Manoj Tiwary is often regarded as one of the top examples of this. Known as 'Chhota Dada,' Tiwary was expected to have a promising international career, but it was limited to just 12 ODIs and three T20Is over seven years, with the player being constantly dropped and recalled. Tiwary's career will always be remembered for being dropped after scoring a century, but the circumstances leading to that memorable knock are equally intriguing.

Tiwary had a rough start, with low scores in his first five matches for India: 2, 2, 22, 11, and 24. As his chances seemed to fade, the legendary Virender Sehwag came to his rescue. It was December 2011, and Sehwag had just played a career-best knock of 219 against the West Indies in Indore. However, what followed was a testament to Sehwag's selflessness.

"Sehwag is my idol, and I will always be indebted to him," Tiwary recalled on The Lallantop. "If he hadn't made the decision to rest himself, my career might have been different. During that time, I had a good relationship with Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. I was often in and out of the team, shuffled around in various batting positions, but Viru bhai noticed that I wasn't getting a fair chance. He saw that I was being moved up and down the order, and it wasn’t right."

"During the series when Sehwag scored his double century in Indore, he chose to rest himself and told Gambhir that they needed to give me a chance to bat at No. 4. On the bus, Viru bhai asked me where I wanted to bat, and I told him that I just wanted to bat for the country. When he insisted, I mentioned that I had always batted at No. 4. He then passed that message on to Gambhir."

Tiwary recalls epic knock

Tiwary's century came in the most dramatic of circumstances. Batting first, India found themselves at a precarious 1/2, which brought Tiwary to the crease early. He formed a crucial 83-run partnership with Gambhir, the acting India captain before the opener was dismissed LBW by Anthony Martin. From that point, India surged to 201 without losing another wicket, as Tiwary and Virat Kohli put together 117 runs for the fourth wicket. Kohli fell just 20 runs short of his century, but Tiwary made sure to complete his. Although he could have batted longer, cramps forced him to retire hurt.

Tiwary recalled, "And look how things turned out. As I always believe, it's all about luck. In the first three balls, India lost two wickets – Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel. When I walked in, my mind was completely blank, and when that happens, good things often follow. It felt like destiny – I was meant to score a hundred. When I reached the century and received the Player of the Match award, I truly felt like I belonged in international cricket. Sehwag was really happy for me."

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