By Abhishek Roy, IANS
Kolkata : Manoj Tiwari’s first international cricket tour ended in tears before it started, but the Bengal batsman is now gearing up to make his comeback with good performances in the Challenger Trophy tournament that starts in Ahmedabad Thursday.
“It will be a great chance for me to represent India Green in the Challenger Trophy. But it will be a tough challenge for me as well because some of the top players of the country will take part in it. I have to make the best of the opportunity,” Tiwari told IANS here, before leaving for Ahmedabad for the tournament that will see some of the best domestic players fighting to get noticed.
Tiwari caught the attention of the selectors with his brilliant performances in the Ranji Trophy last season. He was selected for a one-day series in Bangladesh in May, where he was supposed to make his debut.
But fate had something else in store for the 21-year-old batsman. Just before the start of the series, he was ruled out after he injured his shoulder during a practice session in Mirpur, Bangladesh. He had to fly to London for a surgery on his shoulder.
“It has been a difficult five months for me. I have worked hard during the rehabilitation period. There were days when I was unable to touch my bat, which was a traumatic experience for me. But thank God, I have come out of it,” said Tiwari, who scored 796 runs in seven matches at an average of 99.50 in the Ranji Trophy last season.
With a flashy match-winning 130 under his belt for Rest of India against Mumbai in the Irani Trophy match that ended Oct 9, the Bengal southpaw is geared up for a gruelling season ahead.
“It is good to start a season with a century under your belt. It was more refreshing because I came back form an injury. I have to keep the momentum going and get some big scores,” he said.
Tiwari, who cracked a fine 94 in the Ranji Trophy final last season, also said that a good performance in Challenger Trophy would help him to get a call for the Pakistan series starting Nov 6.
“I am eagerly waiting for the Pakistan series and I am hopeful that my performances will get noticed. It will be a big moment for me if I get a call because an India-Pakistan series always assumes a different importance,” he said.