Kolkata: Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary will be eyeing to redeem himself in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season. Manoj, who played his last ODI in Harare against Zimbabwe, has failed to find favour with the old selection committee. But with the new selection committee headed by MSK Prasad, the talented cricketer will look to get back into the Indian team with a strong domestic performance. In a candid interview with xtratime.in, Manoj spoke about his preparation, captaincy, and Bengal’s chances in the Ranji Trophy and so on. Here are the excerpts:
Q: How has the preparation been for Bengal ahead of Ranji Trophy this season?
M: This year we have tried different things before the Ranji Trophy season. We have played many practice games. We emerged as the champions of KSCA tournament. We also had a good practice match with Jharkhand wherein few juniors were tried. Everyone is working hard in this heat and as a captain when you see everyone trying hard it feels good.
Q: This year the team is almost the same as last year except a few changes. Do you feel sticking to the same team composition will help?
M: Well if a team sticks together for a long time then the camaraderie between the player’s increases and likewise the communication and feelings towards each other grows too. If the gelling between the players is good definitely it reflects in the performance on the field. Most importantly the cricketers who are in the team this season have performed last season and that is the main reason for their place in the team. Performance is the key to stay in the team.
Q: It’s being said that Bengal is in the ‘Group of Death’. What is your take on the group?
M: I want to change the wrong notion that Bengal is in the ‘Group of Death’. Last few seasons we have given consistent performances. Last year we reached the last eight stages, this year we have already won the KSCA tournament defeating good teams. It is disappointing to be considered in a ‘Group of Death’. It is time that other teams start thinking about Bengal.
Q: Are you sending a message to other teams that Bengal will be a stiff opponent this season?
M: Obviously! We are not thinking who our opponents are in our group rather they should be more worried about Bengal as we are practicing hard, winning tournaments and our cricketers are in good form. We are fully prepared to face any opposition. It’s a strong group and we are prepared too.
Q: How big a blow is the injury to Mukesh Kumar for the first two matches?
M: We wanted Mukesh to play this season and spear-head the pace attack along with Dinda but you can’t do anything when there is an injury. We have bowlers in the reserve bench. This season Ishan Porel bowled well in the KSCA tournament and impressed everyone. Now this sort of bowlers will have to come forward and take charge. Mukesh’s absence is unwanted but that’s the way it is in sport.
Q: How disappointing were you after not getting a chance in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy?
Manoj: I was hurt that’s true because I know the conditions in which it was played and was also confident of doing well if I got a chance. It was surprising because in the previous year I scored a hundred in Duleep trophy in Lahli in Rohtak and the conditions were very difficult too. I didn’t do too badly in domestic season as well scoring almost 650 runs against big teams.
Q: Are we going to find a new matured captain Manoj Tiwary this season? What will be your target this season personally?
M: See with time every human being matures. I am always positive about myself and my team. My job as captain is to take decisions on the field which sometimes clicks and sometimes not but the approach and intent should always be positive. I imbibe positive vibe in the team and to some extent it is working as far as the results are showing.
Personally I want to score more hundreds this season and score as many runs as possible. Back of the mind I have a target of scoring at least 5 hundreds and scoring 1000 runs this season.