--- title: "From a Trunk Full of Cricket Gear to Corporate Cricket Recognition: The Keshav Tiwari Story" url: https://whatsthescore.in/blog/keshav-tiwari-cricket-journey-kolkata-corporate-cricket author: "Sandeep Tewary" author_url: https://whatsthescore.in/author/sandeep-tewary author_title: "Global Sports Enthusiast, Ex-Cricketer & Writer" publisher: "What's The Score" category: "Stories" type: interview published: 2026-10-23T17:08:00+05:30 updated: 2026-10-23T15:01:10+05:30 reading_time_minutes: 7 tags: ["Corporate Cricket", "CricHeroes", "cricket journey", "cricket stories", "Keshav Tiwari", "Keshav Tiwari 163", "Keshav Tiwari 213", "Kolkata corporate cricket", "Kolkata Cricket", "Phoenix CC"] license: "Quotation with attribution and a link is permitted. Full reproduction is not." canonical: https://whatsthescore.in/blog/keshav-tiwari-cricket-journey-kolkata-corporate-cricket --- # From a Trunk Full of Cricket Gear to Corporate Cricket Recognition: The Keshav Tiwari Story *Some cricket journeys begin under floodlights. Keshav Tiwari’s began in Kolkata with a trunk full of cricket gear, photographs of Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, and a dream that refused to disappear. Born and brought up in Kolkata, Keshav’s childhood was deeply connected with cricket.* By Sandeep Tewary · 23 October 2026 · 7 min read ## Key takeaways - Keshav Tiwari started playing cricket in 1997. - He grew up in Kolkata and studied at Calcutta Boys' School and St. Paul's. - He spent several years working in Hyderabad's hospitality industry before returning to Kolkata. - He has played around 15 years of corporate cricket. - His CricHeroes record includes a 213-run innings and a 163-run innings. - He has shared the 22 yards with Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan. - His journey from COSMOS to Phoenix CC helped establish his identity in Kolkata's corporate-cricket circuit. ### Some cricket journeys begin under floodlights. Keshav Tiwari’s began in Kolkata with a trunk full of cricket gear, photographs of Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, and a dream that refused to disappear. Born and brought up in Kolkata, Keshav’s childhood was deeply connected with cricket. His early years were spent at **S.N. Banerjee Road**, before his schooling took him to **Calcutta Boys’ School**. But cricket was already becoming a serious part of his life. So serious that, because he was playing so much cricket, his family eventually sent him to Lucknow to complete his Class 10 boards. He returned to Kolkata afterwards, joined St. Paul's and completed Class 12 before moving into the hospitality industry, studying at IHM Kolkata. The cricket, however, never left him. ### When cricket was kept in a trunk For Keshav, cricket is closely connected with a different era of Indian cricket. He remembers starting his cricket journey in 1997, when cricket equipment wasn't carried around in the sophisticated kit bags players use today. There was a trunk. Pads, bats and cricketing gear would all be packed inside it. And somewhere around that cricketing world were the photographs of the two players Keshav and millions of Indian youngsters worshipped — **Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar.** Those were the golden days for Indian cricket. And for Keshav, they were also the days when a lifelong relationship with the game was being created. “This game has always made me a better human being.” That perhaps explains his journey better than any statistic can. Cricket was not simply something Keshav played. It became something that shaped him. ### From hospitality to business Keshav's life wasn't restricted to the cricket field. After completing his studies at **IHM Kolkata**, he moved to Hyderabad and spent three years working with **The Westin Hyderabad**. He then worked for another two years at **The Park Hotel Hyderabad**, where he took on responsibilities as a supervisor-cum-duty manager. Eventually, he returned home to Kolkata and joined his father's restaurant business. But the entrepreneurial journey did not stop there. Keshav later opened his own restaurant, The City Wok. It was another chapter in a life where cricket, work, business and family continued to run alongside each other. ### Professional cricket didn't work out. The passion remained. Like many cricketers, Keshav had aspirations of playing professional cricket. But things didn't go the way he had hoped. That could easily have been the point where the cricketing dream ended. Instead, another door opened. **Corporate cricket.** Keshav has now spent around **15 years playing corporate cricket**, and what began as an alternative path gradually became a major part of his identity. Corporate cricket gave him something incredibly valuable — recognition. People began to know Keshav Tiwari not simply as a businessman or a cricketer who loved the game, but as a player who could make an impact on the field. He admits that recognition did not come easily. He worked extremely hard for it. And the setbacks only strengthened his determination. ### COSMOS, Phoenix and the Kolkata cricket circuit Keshav's corporate-cricket journey began with COSMOS, a team that remains full of memories for him. The team-building, the friendships and the early days created a foundation for everything that followed. **Then came PHOENIX CC.** What started as a new team eventually became a platform where Keshav found himself sharing the field with some of the established names of Kolkata cricket. Players such as **Shabbir Ali, Tillu Sharma, Fidaul Haque and Puneet Rawat **were among the experienced cricketers he faced. For Keshav, playing against such players was more than simply another match. It was an education. He had the opportunity to observe them, learn from their experience and improve his own cricket. That willingness to learn became one of the defining characteristics of his journey. ### The 22 yards with the Pathan brothers Then came one of those cricketing memories that stays with a player forever. Keshav got the opportunity to play alongside **Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan** at the CCFC Ground. For someone who had grown up worshipping Indian cricket's biggest stars, sharing the same 22 yards with two players who had represented India was special. But there was more. Keshav and Irfan Pathan put together a **97-run partnership**. And Keshav still remembers the messages and words of encouragement he received from Irfan as one of the most memorable moments of his cricketing life. It was not simply about the runs. It was about what that moment represented. The boy who had grown up watching his cricket heroes had now reached a stage where he was sharing the field with players who had themselves played international cricket. ### The Numbers Tell Another Part of the Story Behind every cricket journey are numbers, and Keshav Tiwari's numbers tell the story of just how much cricket he has played over the years. According to his CricHeroes profile, Keshav has featured in **678 matches, accumulated 17,971 runs and taken 548 wickets.** He is listed as a right-handed top-order batter and right-arm medium bowler, showing the all-round contribution he has made to his teams over the years. But the numbers that stand out even more are the ones from his batting record. **Centuries: 25 | Fifties: 80 | Highest Score: 213** A score of **213** is a landmark in any cricketer's career. For Keshav, it represents years of experience, consistency and the ability to stay at the crease and convert opportunities into big scores. Another innings that deserves special mention is his 163 against Kolkata Titans — a knock that stands among the memorable performances of his corporate-cricket journey. His contribution, however, hasn't been limited to batting. With **548 wickets** to his name, Keshav has repeatedly shown that he can influence a game with the ball as well. That ability to contribute in multiple departments has made him a valuable player across the teams he has represented. When you put the numbers together — **678 matches, 17,971 runs, 548 wickets, 25 centuries, 80 fifties and a highest score of 213** — they tell the story of a cricketer who has spent years simply doing what he loves. Playing cricket. And perhaps that is what makes Keshav's numbers more meaningful. They are not the product of one season or one tournament. They are the result of **years of turning up, competing, failing, learning, improving and refusing to give up.** For someone whose professional-cricket journey did not go exactly as planned, corporate cricket became the stage where Keshav Tiwari built his own identity. And the numbers show just how long and remarkable that journey has been. ### The knock against Kolkata Titans Among all these performances, Keshav points to one particular innings against **Kolkata Titans** as a special knock — the kind of innings that means more because of the circumstances surrounding it. It was a situation where things were not going according to plan. The odds were against him. But that is where Keshav's cricketing character came through. Instead of allowing the situation to dictate his game, he fought through it and produced the kind of innings that stays in a cricketer's memory long after the scorecard has been forgotten. That is perhaps the best way to understand Keshav Tiwari. He has never been defined simply by the easy days. He has been defined by how he responds to the difficult ones. ### “I have failed many times, but I never give up” There is a line in Keshav's story that stands out. He accepts that he has failed many times in life. But he has never given up. For him, faith in God and his passion for cricket have helped him become stronger through every setback. That attitude has followed him from his early cricketing days to professional life, business and corporate cricket. And perhaps that is the biggest lesson cricket has given him. You don't win every game. You don't score runs every time you walk out to bat. You don't always get the career you initially imagined. But you keep turning up. You keep learning. You keep believing. ### A cricket journey still being written From a young boy in Kolkata carrying cricket equipment in a trunk to a corporate cricketer who has accumulated thousands of runs and hundreds of wickets, Keshav Tiwari's journey is not just about numbers. It is about resilience. It is about finding another route when the first one doesn't work. It is about building a team from scratch, learning from experienced players, sharing a dressing room and the 22 yards with international stars, and continuing to play the game after more than two decades. Most importantly, it is about what cricket has given him away from the scoreboard. **Respect. Love. Recognition. Friendships. Lessons.** And a belief that even when life knocks you down, there is always another innings to play. For Keshav Tiwari, the cricket story that started in 1997 is far from over. The trunk may have been replaced by modern kit bags. The photographs of Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar may now belong to another generation. But the passion remains exactly where it was. On the cricket field. And for Keshav, that is where it has always belonged. | Highlight | Detail | | --- | --- | | Cricket beginning | 1997 | | Home | Kolkata | | Role | Top-order batter | | Batting | Right-handed | | Bowling | Right-arm medium | | Corporate cricket | Around 15 years | | Teams | COSMOS, Phoenix CC, Kolkata Kings, Kolkata Thunder Strikers and others | | Highest Score | 213 | | Another major score | 163 | | Special cricket memory | 97-run partnership with Irfan Pathan | | Career theme | Resilience, persistence and learning | ## Frequently asked questions ### Who is Keshav Tiwari? Keshav Tiwari is a Kolkata-based corporate cricketer who plays as a right-handed top-order batter and right-arm medium bowler. ### When did Keshav Tiwari start playing cricket? Keshav says his cricket journey began in 1997. ### What is Keshav Tiwari's highest recorded score? The highest individual score I found in the publicly available CricHeroes records is 213. ### Has Keshav Tiwari scored a century in corporate cricket? Yes. CricHeroes records multiple century-plus performances, including 213. ### Which type of cricketer is Keshav Tiwari? CricHeroes lists him as a top-order batter, right-hand bat and right-arm medium bowler. ### Who are some of the notable cricketers Keshav has played with? Keshav recalls sharing the 22 yards with former India internationals Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan, including a 97-run partnership with Irfan. ## Sources - Keshav Tiwari — CricHeroes profile - Keshav Tiwari — CricHeroes matches - One on One QA session --- Originally published by What's The Score at https://whatsthescore.in/blog/keshav-tiwari-cricket-journey-kolkata-corporate-cricket