Manoj Tiwary is peace with himself these days. He isn't worried about what his contemporaries are doing, who is watching his knocks, who is saying what about him... This change in approach is reflecting in his batting.
Remember the time a jet-lagged Tiwary was given an India cap within hours his arrival landing in Brisbane nearly seven Australian summers ago? Ever since he was yorked by Brett Lee on debut (he scored two runs), the 29-year-old has played in only nine ODIs over six years. He made a mark by scoring a match-winning 104* in a difficult situation against the West Indies in Chennai (December 2011) besides contributing 65, also in a winning cause, against Sri Lanka (August 2012).
A former national selector told this paper after Tiwary's 151-run knock that "it is not easy to perform when the national selectors are watching you". "The pressure to perform and score a brilliant hundred is different," he said. "Such kind of pressure catches up with even with players who have appeared in 300 ODIs but are trying to make a comeback. The way Tiwary batted was brilliant."
Tiwary does not think on those lines. "I don't carry excess baggage when I go into bat. Earlier, I used to think about people who are watching, and that I had to impress them, play on the up or lofted shots.
Over a period of time, I have realised what my game is. All I have tried is to improve. That has helped me a lot. I have become more consistent now. It is all about watching the ball and playing accordingly," Tiwary said after leading his side to the Deodhar Trophy final.
Tiwary is calmer these days. "Earlier, I'd easily get upset about a lot of things, both on and off the field. I was very aggressive. Now I have calmed down. When you grow (up), you become mature. My injuries also gave me a lot of time to think about my game, and life. As a person, I started to think a lot. I spent a lot of time with myself. My family members helped me during these phases. They made me realise what I had to do next. I also used to watch a lot of motivational videos. I have become more experienced now. I know my game better. I have brought in a lot of changes to my batting as well as my mindset," the 29-year-old said.
It may come as a surprise that Tiwary has got only three List A hundreds in 10 years. The second and third have come in the last 10 days. "Not many know that in the first one or two years, I played at No. 7 or No. 8 for Bengal. But that's no excuse. There were a lot of opportunities. I could have easily got a lot more hundreds. Earlier, I used to throw my wicket away. I was not mature enough as far as my batting was concerned. Now, I try to catch up with whatever form is left with me," said Tiwary.
Tiwary, who last appeared in an ODI in June this year in Dhaka, is aware of the competition for slots in the Indian middle-order. "Whoever is there in the Indian team, they have done really well for themselves and have performed well. It is not easy to get into the Indian team because there is so much competition. I hope and believe that I will get an opportunity (soon). And when it comes, it will be a longer rope. I am hoping to get into the Indian team again," he said.
Earlier, I'd easily get upset about a lot of things, both on and off the field. I was very aggressive. Now I have calmed down. When you grow (up), you become mature
--Manoj Tiwary
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