Manoj Tiwary was the go-to man for Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 10. He did not come in the tournament as the main player but the way he stood out for the team was phenomenal, as he was always the man who showed the way to the team when struck in difficult times.
In one way or other, he eclipsed MS Dhoni and was the third best performer with the bat after skipper Steve Smith and all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Tiwary scored a total of 187 runs in last five overs, which is the highest by any batsman this season. He was always charged up while batting in the last moments of the game and played at a strike rate of whopping 158.5.
It was a rebirth for him in IPL, as the man who hit the winning runs for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL final 2012, went unsold in the auction last year. This year as well, the scenario could have been the same but RPS raised the baton in the third round to fill a spot.
They wouldn’t have thought that this gamble would pay them huge benefits.
“Injuries have been a major part of my career. In 2008, when I got picked for the Bangladesh tour, I got injured a day before the game. It was a shock for me and affected me both physically and mentally. I was young and had no control over my emotions and cried a lot. Later, I injured my shoulder after a dive and missed the series against Pakistan,” Tiwary told HT.
Tiwary has more been unlucky rather than an underperforming guy. A day before he was to make his ODI debut, the Bengal batsman got injured and when he made his debut, he was dismissed on just two with Brett Lee running towards him at a speed of 145kmph. Not everyone knew the fact that he was jetlagged.
When it looked like Tiwary has fixed his place in the team after a century against West Indies in Chennai, he was dropped from the playing XI for tri-series in Australia and didn’t get even a single game, which was a big question mark. Bengal skipper too said he wasn’t picked when deserved a chance,
“When I wasn’t injured, I did not get enough chances. So when people don’t see me play, they say he might be injured. At times I would think I deserve a chance this season but I was not picked.”
However, he has no issue in going back to India ‘A’ level to stage a comeback in the team, as after good performance in IPL, he is eyeing India A tour of South Africa so as to present a case for the national side,
“After a good domestic season and IPL, I hope selectors give me a chance. I hope I get a chance to play for India A to start with,” a hopeful Tiwary said.