IPL 2017: Manoj Tiwary Eager To Perform Against KKR
Dec 23, 2018 at 11:12 AM
It was Manoj Tiwary who hit the winning runs for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final of the 2012 Indian Premier League (IPL) to help the team get their hands on the trophy for the first time in five years. Still, he was released by KKR in 2014 due to some differences with skipper Gautam Gambhir and it was Delhi Daredevils that purchased the Bengal skipper.
He stayed there for a period of two years before franchise released him. Tiwary got no buyers in 2016 IPL auction. This might have hurt him and he went on to play in Dhaka Premier League (DPL). This year again, the story could have been similar but Tiwary got a buyer as he was purchased by Rising Pune Supergiant in the third round of auction.
Till now, he has repaid the faith shown by the franchise as in nine matches, he has scored 182 runs at an average of 36.40. The right-handed batsman has performed his role quite well and is looking forward to continuing the same against his former team Kolkata Knight Riders as well,
“I want to show my old franchise owners that I still have the ability to perform. Self-criticism has been the main thing which I did throughout the last season while being unsold. As its reflection, I used to give more time in training. I feel this hard work has paid off.”
This will be the first time in two years when Tiwary will be playing at his home ground i.e. Eden Gardens in an IPL game but for the opposite team.
The RPS batsman also praised his teammate Ben Stokes for his superlative century in the previous game against Gujarat Lions, where the England all-rounder did not just scored a century but also steered the team to a win from where it looked like RPS have lost the game,
“The impeccable century by Ben Stokes has also inspired us a lot. Each and everybody in our team got a big boost after Stokes century. We lost three wickets within only 10 runs. From that situation, Ben guided the team towards the desired victory. It was simply an amazing inning played by him. I also learned from that innings that your attitude towards the game should be important mostly once you stand on the pitch,” Tiwary said.
Rising Pune Supergiants will take on two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in their next game at Eden Gardens and will have an upstream task as RPS is yet to win a game against this side. Keeping in mind the nature of the pitch that we have seen in Eden Gardens till now, both the teams might look to add a pacer to their side.