Madhav Tiwari (BCCI Photo) DHARAMSHALA: Madhav Tiwari still remembers how tiring bowling used to feel.As a 13-year-old boy in Indore, newly introduced to leather-ball cricket after changing schools, batting was the only thing that really excited him. Bowling felt like work in comparison. “I really liked batting. I wanted to become a batsman. Bowling was very tiring. You have to use your body a lot. I find it easy to bat. You can bat as long as you want,” Tiwari told TOI after scripting Delhi Capitals’ thrilling three-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Monday.
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Punjab Kings coach Sairaj Bahutule explains what went wrong against Delhi CapitalsAt the HPCA Stadium, however, it was his bowling – crisp, heavy and fearless – that first changed the game. Then came the finishing touches with the bat.In just his second IPL appearance, the 22-year-old all-rounder produced the kind of performance that instantly makes people sit up and take notes. who is that boy where did he come from? And how did Delhi Capitals unearth this exciting Indian talent?On a surface that offered generous seam movement, Tiwari bowled with the confidence of someone far more experienced. His speed ranged between 137-140 km/h, he relentlessly attacked difficult lengths and struck at crucial moments.His biggest breakthrough came when he got the wicket of the dangerous Priyansh Arya, who threatened to knock DC out of the competition. Tiwari later returned to dismiss Cooper Connolly with a cleverly disguised slower bouncer to finish with figures of 2/40.“I think the wicket helped the hard, long ball,” Tiwari said. “So I kind of stuck to it at the start and then tried to mix it up with wide yorkers and short balls when I came back towards the end.Still, the night was only half done. Delhi still needed calm during a tense chase of 211 and Tiwari provided exactly that. Coming in when the match was on a knife edge, he smashed an unbeaten 18 off just eight deliveries, including two boundaries and a six, to help Delhi pull off what has become the most successful T20 chase in Dharamshala.Next to him was Ashutosh Sharma, someone Tiwari already knew from the Madhya Pradesh circuit.“We were clear about what was needed,” Tiwari said. “As the game progressed, we both needed to hit. We were comfortable. We played together and we know each other. We are from the same place. The atmosphere in the middle was very cool. We also trained together before the IPL.”The 22-year-old hails from Indore, while his family roots go back to Rewa. His father runs a transport business and, by Tiwari’s own admission, ensured that he was never short of support or background during his growing up years.However, former Indian cricketer Amay Khurasija was the biggest influence. Trained at the Amay Khurasiye Cricket Academy, Tiwari was constantly pushed to become a true all-rounder, even though he leaned heavily towards batting himself.“Amay sir made sure I realized both things,” said Tiwari. “He played a lot of cricket so he knew the benefits of being a proper all-rounder – especially a pace-bowling all-rounder in India. When that dawned on me and I understood the importance of a combination of both, I started working equally hard on both.”
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Years later, the youngster proudly describes himself as “100 per cent bowler and 100 per cent batsman”.Interestingly, despite not having played senior domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh till date, Tiwari has been attracting attention in the IPL through her excellent performances in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League with Bhopal Leopards. Delhi Capitals noticed the raw ingredients – crisp pace, natural seam movement and ability to hit the ball cleanly – and picked him up for Rs 40 crore ahead of IPL-2025.The outing against the Punjab Kings was a sign of confirmation in many ways.“This is my second year in the IPL. I feel I have got used to the environment,” Tiwari said. “The management and all the seniors are super supportive. You can go to them anytime and ask anything. Now that I’m used to it, I just have to control my nerves. It’s a bat and ball game and I just focused on my fundamentals.”And like every young Indian cricketer starting to find his feet, the dream is to play for the country one day. “That’s the ambition,” Tiwari said of playing for India. “My ambition is to become the best. I have a lot of work ahead of me. I need to get more sharpness in my game. I hope to learn more from here and do well in the future.”
