Bengal to bank on Manoj Tiwary

Bengal will rely heavily on their stylish middle order batsman Manoj Tiwary when they take on a strong Tamil Nadu side for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala, Tripura, on Monday.

Tamil Nadu appear favourites against last year’s finalists Bengal whose top order has been a cause for concern.

Against Delhi in the quarters, Tiwary, with an unbeaten 96 single-handedly won the match for Bengal. In their last match a superb all-round display from Laxmi Ratan Shukla combined with Tiwary’s yet another solid display helped Bengal sail into the final.

Last season, also Bengal made the final of the national one-dayers only to be thrashed by Saurashtra in Visakhapatnam. With Shukla at the helm that time too, the captain does not want to repeat the mistake. “Our focus will be batting. (Manoj) Tiwary, of course, is going great guns and will be the mainstay but the top-order also have to do well,” Shukla said.