- “We studied the footage again and again and found out that during the course of the season unknowingly my stance had opened up a bit and that was creating the trouble. Once this flaw was detected, I worked for almost three hours a day during the off-season to correct it. The hard work and the technological help I got paid dividends last season.”
- “I know very well that there are some senior players in the team who were waiting for years to become the Bengal captain. Captaincy has been on the cards for some of them, which is very natural for them to expect. So, now that I am the captain of the team, my main aim is to keep my cool, if you understand what I mean,”
The kid made all the right noises leading up to the tournament. His batting ability is beyond doubt. What was going to be of interest was how he held his own with the senior stalwarts breathing down his neck . Also of interest is his temperament in a high pressure situation that is the Twenty 20 - as batsman, bowler and captain.
In his first game as captain, he led from the front scoring an impressive 50 odd and marshaling his troops adroitly.
Manoj Tiwary - Take a bow.
--
IMHO, from whatever I have read about him and what little I have seen of him, Manoj Tiwary is ready to step up to don the India Test cap. He is a shoo- in for the One Day side, but I believe that he has the right attitude, temperament and wherewithal to do pretty well in the Test arena.
The only thing he will need to guard against is not so much the money and the fame that will come his way, but the hype.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a classic example of a player with some potential who has been so caught up in his own hype that he plays the game to match the hype, not the situation.
Manoj Tiwary has both the cricketing skill and the nous to play the game at the highest level. Here's hoping the BCCI mentors him well.
PS :- MS Dhoni should NOT be the first choice keeper for the England tour. He is way too one dimensional and will be found out, with gloves big and small, in the late summer English conditions
PPS:- More Tiwary
Tiwary sets up Bengal win
5 comments:
So you too have become a Tiwari fan, just like me??
At what position do you think Tiwari can bat in tests because our middle order is quite settled in the test team and for any outgoing batsman, Yuvraj is already there.
"Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a classic example of a player with some potential who has been so caught up in his own hype that he plays the game to match the hype, not the situation."
Most vehemently disagree with you on this one Homer. Dhoni is perhaps the only newcomer in this team who plays to the situation. His only problem, as of now, is that he doesnt have enough skills (call it lack of exposure) to play the various varieties needed, under varied conditions.
Have a look at his last 5-10 ODI innings...and you will see everything - patient batting, singles, building innings, slog etc etc.
Its uninformed tv commentators like Siva and Arun and the 'firangs' (who havent watched him enough but read the media hype about him) who think he is slam bang.
Of course, I am not defending him. He still needs to earn his place, for each game and each series. ANd if he slips below Karthik, then so be it.
Chandan,
Manoj Tiwary bats at 4 in the current Bengal line up.
Sachin, rahul and Saurav and possibly VVS will not be around after a couple of years or so - so thats 4 slots we need to consider for replacement.
Manish,
v Bangladesh in the WC,v South Africa at Durban, v South Africa at Newlwands, v Australia at Malaysia, v Englabd at Mumbai are just some of the examples when his "exuberance" got the better of him :).
Look at his shot selection in these games and look at the time he chose to play those shots - his exposure may be limited, his thinking even more so :)
Chandan,
Tiwary was one of the many names that used to flash past since his under 19 days. Did not pay much attention because U19 kids generally dont make a seamless transition to the next level.
It was his innings against Mumbai in the finals that caught my eye. But then again - flash in the pan..
What makes me believe he is the real deal - Bengal playing Jharkhand in the 20/20 qualifiers.. MS Dhoni batting, having 2 fours in the previous over. Bowling to him - Manoj Tiwary.
21 year old kid in the hurly burly that is 20/20; bowling legspin to possibly the most muscular striker of the cricket ball in contemporary Indian cricket.
And Tiwary got him out . Without conceeding a run.
I became a believer :)
Post a Comment