Ex-KKR star slams India coach Ryan ten Doeschate for ‘demoralising’ dig at Rohit Sharma

Ryan ten Doeschate slammed for Rohit Sharma comment [Source: @PTI, @Rajiv1841/X.com]

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has spoken up against India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate for his comments on Rohit Sharma. He insisted that public criticism of Rohit by a coach is unfair and that Ryan has not even played 5% of what Sharma has achieved for India.

Rohit is currently playing the three-game ODI series against New Zealand. But he has been struggling to get going, scoring just 50 runs in two games so far.

Amid this, Ryan ten Doeschate’s comments went viral, triggering a sharp response from former cricketer Manoj Tiwary.

What Ryan ten Doeschate said about Rohit Sharma?

After New Zealand levelled the ODI series in Rajkot, Team India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke about Rohit Sharma’s inability to convert his starts. 

Rohit had scores of 26 and 24 in the series, despite getting through the new ball on both occasions. Ten Doeschate suggested that Rohit was “short on cricket” heading into the series. 

He pointed to difficult batting conditions and lack of match time as reasons why Rohit looked less fluent than usual. 

"I don’t think it’s a conscious approach. He’s [Rohit] such a brutal player, but he’s actually a touch player at the end of the day. He times the ball… so as soon as the wickets aren’t very good, it’s going to be difficult for him to look in fluent mode like he normally is," Ryan told reporters.

According to the assistant coach, Rohit Sharma is a timing-based player, and when pitches aren’t ideal, rhythm becomes harder to find. 

"He’s definitely not the sort of guy to play for himself. It’s just a combination of the wickets being slightly difficult and maybe just being a little bit short on cricket leading into the series,” he added.

While the comments were framed as technical observations, they didn’t sit well with everyone, especially when they came from someone inside the team management.

Manoj Tiwary hits back at his former KKR teammate

Meanwhile, Manoj Tiwary, speaking at a recent event, didn’t hold back while responding to ten Doeschate’s remarks. The former India batter stressed that public criticism from within the dressing room can be damaging, particularly when it concerns a senior player like Rohit Sharma.

“With a lot of respect, I would like to tell Ryan Ten Doeschate that he was with me for four years at KKR. No doubt he is a very good person, but the kind of comment he has made, I think, he should have thought about it," Tiwary told PTI.

Tiwary acknowledged his past association with Ryan ten Doeschate at KKR and said he respects him as a person. However, he felt the comment crossed a line. 

According to Tiwary, ten Doeschate’s own international career does not compare to Rohit’s achievements as both a batter and a captain. He added that Rohit’s contributions to Indian cricket speak for themselves and should not be questioned after one quiet series.

"He has also played international cricket for the Netherlands. If you look at his performance in international cricket, I am saying this with all due respect, it is not even 5% of what Rohit has achieved in his career, not just as a batter but also as a captain," he added.

‘Demoralising’ words from within the setup

Manoj Tiwary went a step further by calling the remarks demoralising. He questioned why a member of the team management would publicly raise doubts about a player who is still actively representing the country.

He pointed out that Rohit has recently delivered major successes, including winning the Champions Trophy and performing consistently in ODIs. 

For Tiwary, criticism of intent or preparation made little sense, especially when Rohit continues to score runs across formats and domestic cricket. 

"He has given the nation so much happiness by winning the Champions Trophy also and after that, talking like this, that too when he is in the team, not like he is sitting at home and commenting, he is a part of the management, and telling like this about your player is demoralising. I don’t know why he said that. He has to reflect on this. I feel he must not make such comments," Tiwary said.

In his view, such comments only create unnecessary noise and reflect a lack of clarity within the support staff.

Rohit’s recent form tells its own story

Despite the criticism, Rohit Sharma’s recent numbers paint a different picture. He scored his 33rd ODI century against Australia in Sydney in October 2025 and followed it up with two fifties in a series win over South Africa. 

He also turned out for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, registering a century before an early dismissal in his next outing.