'It's the harsh reality for me'- Triple centurion Manoj Tiwary opens up on IPL 2020 snub

If there ever was a list of the most unfortunate cricketers of the era then Manoj Tiwary will top it every single day of the week. But despite all the snubs and disappointments, the Bengal batsman continues to do what he has done throughout his career- score runs and loads of them. The Bengal batsman has been in scintillating form this season, the zenith of which truely came in the ongoing fixture against Hyderabad where he became the second old Indian cricketer to score a First-Class triple-hundred.

In a marathon effort, Tiwary batted for 10 hours and 30 minutes at the crease before Bengal declared at 7-635. Tiwary has been pretty vocal about the indifferent treatment he has received from both the national and IPL set-up throughout his career and the Bengal batsman admitted that the latest IPL snub was a tough pill to swallow. The right-hander, who played alongside MS Dhoni in the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League has gone unsold in the past two auctions.

“It was difficult to digest the fact (IPL snub). But that’s the reality. Obviously, it feels bad when you see so many youngsters playing and I sit back at home watching. Those shots I could have hit. It’s the harsh reality for me. The franchise management looked for something different.” Manoj Tiwary said as quoted by Times Now.

Making runs in tough conditions is always special for any batsman and Tiwary rated the 46 that he scored on a green top against Andhra as his best innings of the season. “It was quite special. Even India Test batsman Hanuma Vihari (23) failed there. If it was difficult for him, then it would have been more difficult for us. it was challenging conditions. So it’s about the quality of knocks.

Manoj Tiwary opens up on the possibility of a national comeback

Tiwary’s International career has been a stop-start affair. After having made his debut in the 2008 CB series, Tiwary had to wait for his turn for another three and a half years before he finally got a chance during the 2011 tour of the West Indies.

Tiwary’s golden moment came during the 5th ODI of the return series against the West Indies later that year where he scored his maiden century – a calm-and-composed 104 not out while coming in at 1-2. Post that hundred, Tiwary didn’t get another chance for the next 14 ODIs, with the kind of competition that there is in the Indian set-up, the right-hander feels it’s difficult to break-in but not impossible.

“At the moment India are winning. It’s difficult with the way India are shaping right now. But anything is possible in this world. “Confidence is my strength. I always have to keep hope. Age is just a number for me,” the 34-year-old said after his unbeaten knock. It’s difficult to say about my comeback… I cannot select myself. But for someone with 8000-plus runs (8752) at 50-plus average (in first class cricket), you should see the consistency, the quality of knocks and not just individual brilliance.”

The right-hander dedicated the knock during which he became just the second Bengal batsman to score a triple hundred to his son Yuvaan but also asserted that the 104 he got for India will always be his most special knock.

“This knock is very special for my family and to my son especially. Whatever I do now is for Yuvaan. He has been lucky for me. This knock also came from the bat with Yuvaan’s name. I would rate this behind my 104 — that was for India (against West Indies). But first 300, pretty happy. I played in a crucial and difficult situation in the morning. My role was important to hang in there and see off the new ball. It’s a milestone I will cherish forever,” he said.

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