Much before the Ranji Trophy got underway, Manoj Tiwary had indicated that this could well be his last domestic season. But as his team gears up for a Ranji Trophy final at the iconic Eden Gardens - after 33 long years - against Saurashtra, the Bengal captain has decided to put his retirement plans on hold for now.
For now, his only target is to make sure Bengal clinches the coveted title, after three decades. “At the start of the season, I did say that if I lift the trophy, I will hang up my boots. But till the time we have reached the final, a lot of people who love my game - also the coach and the other staff - want me to carry on for another couple of seasons. So, as of now, I want to keep the retirement plans on hold and don’t want to make such an announcement so that the focus shifts on to something else,” Tiwary told Sportstar.
“I don’t want our boys to be distracted about anything. The ultimate aim is to give the Ranji Trophy to the cricket lovers of Bengal and fans. They have waited for so long. Even when I played for India, I always maintained that alongside playing for the country, I wanted to win a Ranji Trophy for Bengal - either as a captain or as a player…”
A seasoned campaigner, the 37-year-old Tiwary has turned things around for the State team, pairing with his former team-mate and current Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
“We want to keep things simple. We have asked the bowlers to be disciplined and have asked them to keep it stump to stump and keep it there. It would be tight for the batters to score in that case. Similarly for batters, it would be about discipline. The way these boys are performing, there’s no question of pressure. The atmosphere is such that nobody would feel under pressure ahead of the final. If somebody still feels the pressure, we will make sure that he is at ease,” Tiwary said.
For both Shukla and Tiwary, the idea has been to talk to the players regularly. “It is about calming their nerves. At the end of the day, it is a game of the bat and the ball. We tell the players not to lose focus and think too much about the crowd, the expectations, the camera and all that because that could shift your focus. The players usually respond to us,” the captain said, before adding in jest, “but in case they don’t, we use stern words…”
When Bengal won the Ranji Trophy the last time, way back in 1989-1990, Tiwary was just five years old. In his long career, he has come close to creating history a few times, but a title has so far eluded him. In front of a home crowd this time though, Tiwary is a man on a mission.
“I have always believed that it’s just a matter of time before we win trophies. Somehow, I was not given that responsibility to lead across formats over the last three years. I completely understand their decision. But this time suddenly after the first game, they asked me to lead and I knew that it was just about making the right decisions on the field, which decide those victories and defeats,” Tiwary.
“Taking those decisions is the key and having so much experience, I have learned and have matured as a captain. I knew, with these players in hand, it’s only a matter of time to win a trophy. I have been lucky with the tosses and everything is falling in place so far…”
And, like every other cricketer from Bengal, Tiwary, too, would hope that luck favours him when he leads his team in the final!
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