Mumbai, Nov 30: Having lost to Madhya Pradesh in their previous game, visitors Bengal will be looking to reverse their fortunes when they face off against Mumbai at the Brabourne Stadium in their fifth match of the Ranji Trophy 2012-13 season. Yet to register a win the tournament, the Manoj Tiwary-led side has lost two out of their four games so far and is currently in the fifth position in Group A table with six points.
Speaking about the game ahead, the Bengal captain said, “We are looking forward to playing this game in a positive way so that we can dominate each session. We know that Mumbai is a good side but we have quality bowlers in our side. So we will look to attack them from the start. Let’s see how it goes. We will take it session by session and try to get as many points as we can.”
Playing without one of their key players, Ashok Dinda, who has been called up to the national side, Tiwary acknowledged that they will miss the services of the pacer. “We will definitely miss Dinda. He was bowling really well. He was judged the best bowler on the domestic circuit and with the way he was bowling, we will definitely miss him. But we have a bowler in Shami Ahmed who has been bowling really well. He got a hat-trick in the last game; got 11 wickets. It’s just a matter of bowling ten wicket-taking deliveries from him so that Bombay batting order can get out off his bowling. Looking at the other bowlers, we have a decent attack. We will play to our strengths and have patience while bowling, and let’s see how it goes,” he said.
While speaking about his own form and performance, Tiwary, who has been working hard towards earning his Test cap, said, “I think I am performing really well. I am definitely looking for a berth in the Test side. I am looking forward to the chance that I would get. But it depends on the selectors if they are going to give it to me.”
The Bengal skipper, who scored 93 in a practice game a few weeks back at this very venue, added, “The knock against England XI gave a lot of confidence because they are the No.2 side in the world, so such an innings gives you a lot of confidence for the following matches. When you face quality bowlers and score against them, that confidence has helped me score even more runs in the few Ranji matches I have played since then.”
Asked how he approaches his game when he doesn't know where he could be playing tomorrow, Tiwary replied, “It’s difficult but you have to get used to it no matter what because you have other options left. I just play each match as my last match. Playing for seven years has given me so much experience that now I can deal with such situations.”
“I make sure that I prepare well in all departments. Bowling is coming well. Fielding is there to support me as well. Batting is going well too, touch wood; and [to maintain] fitness level, [I am] working hard in the gym. So keeping myself prepared,” he added
Speaking about his role in the team, the senior player said, “When I started I was an aggressive batsman by nature but then I realised I had to curb my instincts because in a days’ match, you have to have patience to score big runs. It can’t just come if you play quickly or take too many risks initially. Being the senior member of the side and a responsible batsman, I try to occupy the crease because all the other batsmen gain a lot of confidence when I am around. It becomes an added responsibility for me. Looking at personal achievement and personal aim, I have to score big runs in order to get into the Indian team. There is so much competition, [and] there are so many players who are scoring runs. To beat them, you have to score big hundreds. Accordingly I have changed the nature of my game. But as long as I am contributing to my team’s success, no matter if it’s a 50 or a 70 or a 100 or a 120 in a winning cause, that matters a lot to me rather than double-hundred with no result and no contribution to the team’s win.”
Tiwary who missed the previous game due to injury said that there are no concerns about his fitness now. “My wrist is absolutely fine. I have got a clearance from the NCA. There’s no pain at all,” he mentioned.
Speaking about the wicket, he said, “There’s a little more grass on the wicket than what we had for the England game, so that augurs well, I think. We played a good match against MP in Indore on a result-oriented wicket. We missed a few opportunities as far as catching is concerned. Otherwise the result would have been on our favour. Good to see some grass on the wicket so that it will produce results rather than one-sided draws.”
