Kolkata Knight Riders’s Manoj Tiwary says he is once again feeling good about his batting, wants to take the IPL route to Team India.
Manoj Tiwary’s 29-ball 50 against Royal Challengers Bangalore could be the defining knock of his third coming. On two occasions injuries have put a spoke in the wheel of this 24-year-old’s permanent elevation to the next level — international cricket.
None knows better than Tiwary the frustration of being on the bench even after getting picked for the national squad. Tiwary, though, made his debut in the CB Series in Australia, but played only one game.
Tiwary had to return from Bangladesh in 2007. He suffered a tear in his right shoulder. Then just ahead of the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 he was injured once again. It also spoiled his chances of making the team for the inaugural World Twenty20. Tiwary was in the 30-man probables list.
However, Tiwary had to make a big decision ahead of Season III. He moved from the Delhi Daredevils to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). “I had to sacrifice a lot of money while taking the transfer to Kolkata Knight Riders from Delhi Daredevils this year,” Tiwary told DNA from Kolkata.
Asked why he opted for KKR, his answer was one of clarity: “I wasn’t getting to bat higher up the order as there were players like (Virender) Sehwag, (Gautam) Gambhir, AB de Villiers, (Tillakaratne) Dilshan in the Delhi line-up. So I was on the lookout for a team where I would be able to bat up the order. The opportunity to play for KKR came along and I grabbed it with both hands.”
Many people would have written him off again when he was dismissed for a golden duck in the opening game against Deccan Chargers. However, he redeemed himself with a quick-fire half-century that gave his team their second consecutive win of the tournament.
“Many players have made it to the Indian team on the basis of IPL and I also want to take this route to break into the national side,” Tiwaryconfessed.
The Bengal batsman now wants to be consistent. “After quite some time I batted like myself,” Tiwary said about his half-century on Sunday. Now, I don’t want to lose that momentum. I hope to score more runs,” Tiwary added. Tiwary has made runs in domestic cricket but nothing came close to the sensation of making runs in front of a frenzied Eden Gardens crowd on Sunday. It was home sweet home for Tiwary.
On how it felt to play the leading role at his home ground, Tiwary said, “I have batted here so many times in my career, but every time it was without spectators. This is the first time I batted with so many spectators cheering on. I don’t think there is any better atmosphere than this in cricket.”
However, Tiwary could miss the game against the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. He is nursing a twisted ankle. “It’s too early to say, but the situation is 50-50,” an insider informed this newspaper.
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