Midnight nets and endless overs: The cricket tragic that is Madhav Tiwari

If it wasn't for the IPL, Madhav Tiwari would owe his father an MBA degree. A few years ago, Madhav made a promise: "Just give me one or two years. If I don't get into the Madhya Pradesh team, I'll enrol for an MBA. But I want to play so please give me a couple of years." His father Awadhesh says, "God gave me strength and I told him to pursue his dreams."

Now 22, Madhav is yet to turn out for Madhya Pradesh and has no domestic record to speak of. But earlier this week he bagged the Player of the Match award in Delhi Capitals' three-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, and any thoughts his father still had of enrollment papers receded further into the distance.

Awadhesh relates that it was the enthusiasm of a 13-year-old Madhav, wholly obsessed with the sport, that sowed the seeds of a professional cricketer. "He used to play with boys who were 20 or 25 years old and used to hit sixes off their bowling," he recalls.

Originally from Mauganj in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, Awadhesh and his two brothers moved to Indore where the Tiwaris have resided for 45 years as a joint family, running a transportation business. Madhav grew up in a vibrant household with five cousins and a sister.

For a boy who was academically sharp and scored in the 80-90 per cent range consistently, Awadhesh was keen on Madhav focusing on academics. The intense competition in cricket raised his skepticism, but it was hard not to pay heed to neighbours who took note of Madhav's natural talent.

Awadhesh enrolled his son at the Amay Khurasiya Cricket Academy, helmed by the former India international. The academy was a 20km journey from home, meaning the day would often start at 5am.

"It's all the blessings of my father," Awadhesh says. "He used to take Madhav to the academy whenever he'd come to Indore from his village on his Royal Enfield Bullet bike. He had a dream to see Madhav become a renowned name in cricket and he would distribute sweets throughout his village. Unfortunately God didn't give him the chance to see this, but it's his blessings that have brought Madhav this far."

At the academy, Khurasiya remembers what stood out: "The timing. And the enthusiasm as a child. He has grown very tall now but he was just a very short boy. His ability and attitude in matches was very interesting as he was growing up."

A thumb rule that Khurasiya follows is for everyone to bat and bowl unless they are a wicketkeeper. "Bowling was forced upon him," Khurasiya grins, citing that Madhav only wanted to bat in his initial days.

Runs and wickets followed through age-group levels. Madhav emerged as a natural with the ball – one who "loves playing red-ball cricket" as Khurasiya declares. The obsession grew to the point where Tiwari would start playing again once his peers left for home, or summon a friend out late into the night to hit the nets.

"This boy had the character to play big games from a very young age," Khurasiya recalls. "He broke his thumb in an U12 game. It was the last over and he broke it. The opposition needed about 6 or 7 runs to win. He snatched the ball from the captain and said, 'I want to bowl this over.' And he won the game."

When the COVID-19 lockdown threatened to steal crucial time, the teenager sourced a bowling machine to train indoors. "He broke the walls of the house smashing cricket balls," Awadhesh recalls. "Isko cricket ke alawa duniya mein kuch nahi hai (Outside of cricket, there's nothing else for him in this world). He has no other hobby."

Yet, Madhav's progress wasn't always steady. Even for a player boasting the rarest profile in the Indian market – a batting all-rounder who bowls pace – a senior debut for Madhya Pradesh hasn't followed suit.

But that profile did not miss the eyes of scouts when Madhav impressed for the Bhopal Leopards in the inaugural Madhya Pradesh T20 League in 2024. Among batters who faced at least 30 balls that season, Madhav's strike-rate of 205.71 was the second highest. That he batted in the middle-order was an added plus.

Delhi Capitals snapped him up for his base price of INR 40 lakh.

"We kept watching the auction but his name didn't come up," Awadhesh recalls. "Then I had to attend a wedding and I stepped away. Then my nephew came screaming, 'Madhav ka ho gaya (Madhav has been selected in the IPL).' All the guests were celebrating for half an hour. It's more than a filmy story."

A debut followed against Punjab Kings at Dharamsala in 2025, only for escalating border tensions to halt the game and then force the tournament to be suspended. When it resumed, Madhav played one more game. Against Mumbai Indians, he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah for just three.

Another year went on and another decent MP T20 campaign followed, averaging 54 at a strike-rate of 180. The senior Madhya Pradesh call-up didn't come. But Madhav's commitment didn't wane – so much so that he missed his sister's wedding to take part in a game in Ahmedabad.

"When I dropped him at the airport, I came home crying thinking he had one sister and he couldn't attend her wedding," Awadhesh laughs.

DC retained him for 2026, but the "100 per cent bowler, 100 per cent batsman" had to wait until the 12th match. With little to salvage, a ray of hope emerged in the form of Tiwari, who took 2 for 40 against Punjab – at the very venue where his IPL debut was cut short last year – and then struck 18 not out to see DC to victory.

"I didn't expect him to be picked in the side," Awadhesh says. "When I saw his name in the XI, I got so many phone calls that I couldn't even watch the match properly. The TV was on but my eyes were there and my ears were on the phone. I just wasn't able to keep the phone away. It was unexpected happiness."

His sister ought to be happy too? "Oh she's very happy now. She was in Bhopal, she came running to Indore after the last game," Awadhesh says.

Khurasiya envisions a bright future: "He's a very lethal bowler with the red ball. He is very intelligent and can control his swing at 137-138 kph. He swings it very well from back of the length. You make him bowl for a whole day, he likes to bowl. And when he wants to bat, he will bat for the whole day. That way he's a bull."

Awadhesh swells with gratitude for Khurasiya's reassurances. Just months prior to his IPL Auction signing, Khurasiya told the family to focus only on Madhav's nutritional needs before adding: "Just leave the rest to me, nobody can stop him from playing for India."

"Whatever Madhav is today it's because of Amay sir. Amay sir has more rights over him than us," laughs Awadhesh. "None of us ever had anything to do with cricket. I don't know where this came from. Cricket was not even in our dreams."

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