Kolkata: There has been many reasons for the success of the Rising Pune Supergiant team in the recently concluded IPL and undoubtedly, Manoj Tiwary is one of them. Often walking in to bat in crunch situations, the performance of the right hander has impressed many and quite frankly, this IPL been a memorable one for the Bengal cricketer.
But his career graph in international cricket isn’t so impressive after having made his debut way back in 2008, especially after injuries and bad luck have made their presence felt big time. But Manoj has fought all odds to still be one of the best Indian batsman in the domestic circuit today.
In his interaction with the Hindustan Times, Tiwary spoke about how injuries have created setbacks in his international career.
“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,”
However, injuries hasn’t been the only impediment to his international career. “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” said Tiwary, who was benched for 14 games after scoring his maiden ton against the West Indies in Chennai.
But amidst all these difficulties that he faced, there has been one thing constant about the 31- year old and that is, the will to fight back and stand strong in the face of all adversities. His consistent performances for Bengal in the domestic circuit proves just that.
It was under his leadership and due to his exemplary batting skills that resulted in East Zone clinching the Deodhar Trophy in 2014. Also, he led Bengal to the Vijay Hazare Trophy final this year. After a wonderful outing with the bat in the IPL, Tiwary, who scored 324 runs from 15 matches has made a strong case for a comeback to the national team. But he is aware that it would be difficult.
“It is difficult to make a comeback as our country is brimming with talent. So when somebody gets injured, a lot of performers stake claim. Competition is very tough. You have to keep performing, wait for a player to fail and hope the selectors look your way” said Tiwary, who last played for India in 2014.