Dharamsala: Madhav Tiwary still remembers how tiring bowling felt. As a 13-year-old kid in Indore, newly introduced to leather-ball cricket after switching schools, batting was what really excited him. Bowling felt like hard work in comparison. “I loved batting. I wanted to be 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,” Tiwary told TOI after scripting Delhi Capitals’ thrilling three-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Monday.
At the HPCA Stadium, though, it was his bowling — fast, heavy and fearless — that changed the first game. Then came the finishing touches with the bat. Just in his second IPL In appearance, the 22-year-old all-rounder delivered a performance that made people immediately sit up and take notice. Who is this boy? Where did he come from? And how did Delhi Capitals spot this exciting Indian talent? On a surface that offered the generosity of sevens, Tiwary bowled with the confidence of someone far more experienced than him. Clocking in the range of 137-140 kmph, he consistently attacked hard longs and struck at crucial moments. His biggest success came when he took the wicket of the dangerous Priyansh Arya, who threatened to knock DC out of the contest. Tiwary later returned to dismiss Cooper Connolly with a cleverly disguised slow bouncer, ending with figures of 2/40. “I think the wicket was helping the hard, length ball,” Tiwary said. “So I stuck to that initially and then when I came back towards the end I tried to mix it up with wide yorkers and short balls.” It was already half past midnight. Delhi still needed rest while chasing 211 hard, and Tiwary provided exactly that. Walking in when the match was on a knife’s edge, he scored an unbeaten 18 off just eight balls, including two fours and a six, helping Delhi to their most successful T20 chase in Dharamsala. He was accompanied by Ashutosh Sharma, Tiwari already familiar with the Madhya Pradesh circuit. “It was clear to us what was needed,” Tiwari said. “The way the game was going, we both needed to hit. We were comfortable with it. We have played together and we know each other. We come from the same place. The atmosphere in between was very cool. We even practiced together before the IPL.” The 22-year-old hails from Indore, while his family roots are from Rewa. His father runs a transport business and by Tiwari’s own admission, ensured that he never lacked support or facilities while growing up. However, the biggest influence was the former Indian cricketer. Ame Khorasiya. While training at the Umay Khurasia Cricket Academy, Tiwary was constantly pushed to become a true all-rounder, even as he himself leaned heavily towards batting. “Ami Sahib made sure that I picked up both things,” Tiwari said. “He has played a lot of cricket, so he knew the benefits of being a proper all-rounder – especially a fast-bowling all-rounder in India. When it dawned on me and I realized how important the combination of the two was, I started working on both equally. Years later, the youngster now proudly describes himself as “100 per cent bowler and 100 per cent batsman”. Interestingly, despite not playing senior domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh till date, Tiwary grabbed the attention of the IPL with his impressive performances in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League with Bhopal Leopards. Delhi Capitals saw the raw ingredients – pace, natural seam movement and clean bowling ability – and picked him up for Rs 40 lakh ahead of IPL-2025. The out against Punjab Kings was a seal of approval in many ways. “This is my second year in the IPL. I think I have got used to the environment,” said Tiwary. “The management and all the seniors are very 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 was just focusing on my basics. And like every young Indian cricketer starting to find his feet, the dream is to one day play for the country. “That’s the ambition,” Tiwary said of playing for India. “My ambition is to be the best. I have a lot of work to do. I have to improve my game. I hope to learn more from here and do well in the future.”
