By IANS
Kolkata : Manoj Tiwari reminded the national selectors that he is still in the reckoning for a spot in Team India when he hit an unbeaten 147 runs for Bengal on Day one of the Ranji Trophy opening match against Hyderabad here Sunday.
Tiwari came to the crease with the score at 67 runs for two wickets and sprayed the inexperienced Hyderabad attack all over the park. His 248-minute stay at the pitch saw him hit 14 boundaries and two sixes.
Tiwari was selected for India’s tour to Bangladesh but returned home, without playing a single match, with a dislocated shoulder and underwent an operation in England that kept him out of the field for over three months.
But he came back with a bang scoring 65 runs for India Green during their recent Challenger Trophy match. And after Sunday’s knock he has for once and for all dismissed the rumours that he is yet to recover fully.
Tiwari walked into bat at the fall of Abhisekh Chakroborty’s wicket and the promising right-hander scored at a brisk rate.
He reached his 50 in 62 balls. He came down particularly hard on rookie spinner Lalit Mohan. His massive hit over the long on was a treat to watch. Tiwari hit one more six off Pragyan Ojha.
He shared a valuable 98-run partnership with Safi Ahmed for the fourth wicket, and brought Bengal to a strong position. Safi, who struggled with his shots, was out for 14 runs to Amol Shinde. Shinde also got the new Bengal skipper L.R. Shukla on the first ball he faced.
With the end of the day’s play approaching, Tiwari slowed his pace scoring only 36 runs off the next 102 balls. Debutant wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha picked up the scoring rate at the other end and finished unbeaten on 34 runs off 53 balls.
Earlier, Shukla won the toss and elected to bat. Hyderabad’s new ball bowlers M.P. Arjun and S.M. Shoiab were way off the target and helped Bengal openers Abhijit Chakroborty and Arindam Das to settle down.
The two were happy to leave the balls outside their off stump and added vital 45 runs for the first wicket, before Das was out of Ojha’s delivery.
Scorecard:
Bengal (1st Innings)
A.P. Chakrabarty c R. Teaj b P. Ojha 25
A.S. Das lbw b L. Mohan 25
A.P. Majumder c H. Ahmed b M.P. Arjun 25
M.K. Tiwary not out 147
S. Ahmed c D. Manohar b A. Shinde 14
L.R. Shukla c A. Pai b A. Shinde 0
W.P. Saha not out 34
Extras 2nb Ow 12lb 5b Total 19
Penalties awarded following innings 0
Total 289 for 5
Bowler O M R W
M.P. Arjun 9.0 2 24 1
S.M. Shoaib 11.0 3 22 0
P. Ojha 33.0 10 100 1
L. Mohan 25.0 3 71 1
A. Shinde 16.0 1 53 2
R. Teja 10 0 2 0