IPL snub was difficult to digest, reveals Manoj Tiwary

01/21/2020

Manoj Tiwary revealed that going unsold in the IPL auction was difficult to accept for him but he took it in his stride and concentrated on the upcoming Ranji season. That concentration paid off as Tiwary scored his maiden first-class triple hundred (303*) against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.

Manoj Tiwary answered his critics in brilliant style as he scored his maiden triple century against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy. Tiwary went unsold in the IPL auction and the 34-year-old revealed that it was a tough pill to swallow.

"It was difficult to digest the fact (IPL snub). But that's the reality. Obviously, it feels bad when you see so many youngsters playing and I sit back at home watching. Those shots I could have hit. It's a harsh reality for me," Tiwary told TOI.

Although being on the wrong side of his 30s, Tiwary always decided to be optimistic about his chances of a comeback. He believed in quality rather than quantity and particularly mentioned his knock of 46 against Andhra on a green pitch that he was proud of.

"It was quite special. Even India Test batsman Hanuma Vihari (23) failed there. If it was difficult for him, then it would have been more difficult for us. It was challenging conditions. So it's about the quality of knocks," Tiwary asserted.

"It's difficult to say about my comeback... I cannot select myself. But for someone with 8000-plus runs (8752) at 50-plus average (in first-class cricket), you should see the consistency, the quality of knocks and not just individual brilliance," he added.

Manoj Tiwary last played for India in an ODI series against Zimbabwe back in 2015. But still, he believed that he would carry out his role of scoring runs for his team and hope for the best.

"I have always believed in my abilities and hard work and my job is to keep scoring runs and win for the team," Tiwary concluded.