Manoj Tiwary brought out the best in him against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy on the second day as he guided Bengal to a mammoth 510/9 in Kolkata.
Tiwary began the day with just 31 runs to his kitty and ended the day as the hero for his side, registering his fifth double ton in first-class cricket.
This was a welcome innings for someone like Tiwary, who has been under pressure after he was conveyed that he would be remaining the captain, after the two matches.
He had decided to relinquish the captaincy after the first game itself where he scored a fifty. He had a steely determination in this match and his aggressive celebration at the end showed just why he needed this.
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“There were a lot of emotional moments. That’s why the special celebration,” he said.
“This for the ones who don’t like me or my batting. Hope they won’t tell me to be dropped again. There were also talks that I would be removed from captaincy and the team. I have nothing to say,” Tiwary added. For him, the 210 he had scored against Mumbai still sits at the top of the pile.
Earlier in the morning, team mentor Arun Lal said that a double hundred was required from Tiwary, who has been under fire for his performances. But one has to add that the right-hander has always fallen at the wrong end of fortunes.
Just when he was set to make his ODI debut did he suffer an arm injury that ruined it all. Earlier this year, he was excluded from the Duleep Trophy side.
As a matter of fact, Tiwary could have had a different life altogether had injuries not destroyed his career.
“I don’t know why injuries are chasing me,” he had once said.
After a poor outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he had opened himself up to thoughts of letting go of the captaincy.
“I’m used to criticism. I believe in straight-talking. I can be diplomatic. But that’s not me. I never fight for my personal benefit. I always fight for my team. Whatever happened this season could have been avoided. But we have moved on,” he had said on Tuesday.”