Rising Pune Supergiant batsman Manoj Tiwary wants to hit the winning runs in the IPL final on Sunday. Image Source: twitter@IPL[/caption]Internet Desk: Manoj Tiwary is once again proving his worth. The Bengal captain is having a great run in the IPL so far, playing his role to perfection. Manoj has so far scored 317 runs in 12 matches, but more importantly he has played significant contributions in Rising Pune Supergiant’s great run to the IPL final.
The stylish cricketer scored a brilliant 58*(48) and was involved in a match winning partnership of 80 runs with Ajinkya Rahane and also shared 73 runs partnership with MS Dhoni. It will be the second IPL final for Manoj, who earlier tasted success with the Kolkata Knight Riders back in 2012. In an interview to xtratime.in Tiwary shared his thoughts about playing his second IPL final, his form this season, Steve Smith’s captaincy and batting alongside MS Dhoni. Here are the excerpts:
What are your thoughts about playing the IPL final for a second time?
I am feeling very excited to be in the final for a second time. All I need now is to stay focused for the final. I am really looking forward to playing in the final on Sunday.
Last time you played in the IPL final, you hit the winning runs against for Kolkata Knight Riders. Can you see you doing the same thing for RPS on Sunday?
(Laughs) I don’t know how the match will turn out on Sunday. I just want to go out in the middle and perform to the best of my ability. For any cricketer, he wants to be remembered by doing well in a big final. If we’re chasing I would love to hit the winning runs for my side. Important thing for me is to make a valuable contribution for the side.
Very few gave a chance to RPS for making it to the final of IPL. What led to the transformation of the side?
I think the team was together all throughout the season. The Coach and Captain ensured that the team spirit was intact. There was a brief meeting after we lost the first couple of matches. We never looked back since then. The biggest positive was that we played as a team although there were a few good individual performances.
How does it feel to repay the faith shown upon you by the franchise owners? Did you have any word with Mr Sanjeev Goenka?
I am grateful to Mr Goenka for giving me the opportunity to play for RPS. He (Mr Goenka) is always
happy to see us doing well as a team. Pretty happy to have been able to repay the faith imposed on me. Everyone has given me the confidence to do well.
You have made some useful contributions in the tournament. Can you share any particular knock that has given you more satisfaction?
There are four stylish player awards which I have won this season. All those four innings that I played helped the team win. But personally speaking the knock against Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1 was special. Firstly it helped the team reach the final and we were playing in their own backyard.
How was the experience of playing under Steve Smith?
Frankly speaking it has been a good experience playing under him (Smith). He has led the team well throughout the season.
You spoke about your role after the win in the Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians. How satisfying is it for you to have played the role to perfection?
Talking about my role, I have always enjoyed it thoroughly. If wickets fell in the Power play, I was told to bat at No.4 which I did, but if there was a partnership, my role was to come down. We had players like Ben Stokes and Mahi bhai to hit. I am pretty satisfied with my performance.
How big a factor will it be not to have Ben stokes in the final?
Obviously we are going to miss him (Stokes) in the final. But we managed to win in the last game without him (Stokes). We all need to stand up and make up for his absence.
How disappointing was it to miss the IPL last season because of an injury?
Obviously it was not a good experience. There are some things in life which cannot be controlled. I do not want to look into the past rather I want to enjoy what lies in future.
Is your wife and friends travelling to Hyderabad to watch the final?
My wife will be there in Hyderabad to cheer me. She is a big motivating factor in my life. She has been a huge support.
Lastly, how has been the experience of watching Dhoni bat from the other end?
Yes, it’s something of a new experience; I have played with him (Dhoni bhai) in the Indian team but not batted with him. This was the first time I watched him bat closely from the other end. In slog over’s he (Dhoni) is still the master. He makes it look so simple. There are a lot of things to learn watching from the other end. We are fortunate to have him (Dhoni) in the dressing room.
.
0 comments:
Post a Comment