Tiwary plays crisis manager

Towards the end of the first session,the Bengal dressing room had come to a virtual standstill. At 81/3 the team was in trouble and the disconcerting quiet on the sidelines bared the home team's worst fears.

Towards the end of the first session,the Bengal dressing room had come to a virtual standstill. At 81/3 the team was in trouble and the disconcerting quiet on the sidelines bared the home team’s worst fears. With local heroes Manoj Tiwary and Sourav Ganguly at crease,Bengal could not afford any more mishaps. But like so many times in the past,Tiwary and Ganguly bailed their team out by stitching a useful partnership of 85 runs and in the process negated Gujarat’s early advantage.

While Ganguly (34 from 63 balls) departed after averting the crisis,Tiwary was unbeaten on 120 at stumps. As a result Bengal finished the day one at 261/4. The experienced pair of Tiwary and Ganguly had changed the mood in the dressing room as by evening Bengal were positive that the game against Gujarat could see them fly off the blocks at the start of the season.

Making a statement

Tiwary,who has an eye on cementing his place in the India ODI side,once again reveled in the high pressure Ranji Trophy atmosphere. Though,the Gujarat bowling wasn’t the kind that would give a batsman sleepless nights but still scoring runs on the slow and sluggish track meant putting one’s heads down and digging deep. Tiwary did exactly that as he showed great concentration and his shot selection immaculate.

While the Bengal skipper lifted the spirit of the locals,there were those who wondered why Tiwary could rarely carry his domestic form to the international level. Tiwary’s coach Manabendra Ghosh,however,has the answer. “It’s a mental thing. It’s not easy to score when one is looking over the shoulder all the time. Basically,he is a confidence player. He needs to given a longer stint in the Indian team to succeed. Besides,he also needs to tighten his defence,” Ghosh told The Indian Express.

Giving Tiwary company in the final session was Wriddhiman Saha,another player who too is on the fringe on the national team for some time now. Saha,along with Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel is in contention for the spot of second wicket-keeper for next month’s tour to Australia. Saha was unbeaten on 41 and his unbroken stand with Tiwary so far has yielded 95 runs.

Brief scores: Bengal 261/4 in 90 overs (M Tiwary 120 not out,W Saha 41 not out,S Ganguly 34; P K Panchal 2/22) vs Gujarat.

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