Under pressure Manoj Tiwary smashes 201 not out against Madhya Pradesh

Image Credits: IANS

Skipper Manoj Tiwary silenced his critics by smashing an unbeaten double century before Bengal declared their innings at a mammoth 510/9 against Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match on Tuesday.

Resuming at overnight score of 246/4, Bengal plundered a further 264 runs with Tiwary (201 not out) completing his fifth first class double century on the eve of his 33rd birthday. Tiwary began the day on an individual score of 31.

The Madhya Pradesh bowlers had a tough outing despite a five-wicket haul by young Shubham Sharma (5/59).

At close on Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh were 15 for no loss with plenty to ponder and two more days to go.

For Tiwary, the build-up to the Ranji season was full of drama after the Sourav Ganguly-led Cricket Association of Bengal gave him an 'ultimatum' naming him skipper for the first two matches.

Tiwary decided to step down after Bengal's Ranji Trophy opener in Himachal Pradesh but changed his mind after scoring a first innings half-century. He also had a lucky outing on Monday as he was dropped twice.

Team mentor Arun Lal had said this morning that the team wanted a double hundred from him.

Tiwary did not let the team down and played with dogged determination to complete his century in 166 balls with a boundary off leg-spinner Mihir Hirwani.

An aggressive celebration followed with Tiwary pointing his bat towards the club house. The bat was also special for him as he had his four-month-old son Yuvaan's name embossed on it. 

"There were a lot of emotional moments. That's why the special celebration," Tiwary said, rating his knock second to 210 that he had hit against Mumbai.

"This for the ones who don't like me or my batting. Hope they won't tell me to be dropped again. There were also talks that I would be removed from captaincy and the team. I have nothing to say," Tiwary said.

He said the uncertainty pumped him up, instead of being bogged down.

"Been honestly playing for 14-15 years. Took it as a challenge. Certainly there was pressure. So it felt sweeter," said Tiwary.

"I am also a human being. Family and friends were also disturbed. I will celebrate (my birthday) at home," he added. 

Brief Scores:

Bengal: 510/9 declared in 149.3 overs (Manoj Tiwary 201 not out, Koushik Ghosh 100, Abhimanyu Easwaran 86; Shubham Sharma 5/59) vs Madhya Pradesh 15 for no loss in 10 overs.