Tiwary is cherishing responsibility
Saurabh Tiwary has proved to be a vital cog in the batting machine of the star-studded Mumbai line-up.
By R Prasad
Some people thrive when more responsibilities are thrust on them and rise higher up in their chosen professions while some others perish, weighed down by the added burden. Saurabh Tiwary has shown he belongs to the former cadre.
The 20-year-old Jharkhand player has simply cherished the opportunity given to him to bat at no. 3 or 4 by the Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai in the Indian Premier League.
The young batsman has come up with some telling knocks that has helped the side to go top of the charts with a convincing victory over Kolkata last night at the Brabourne Stadium.
The player, who sports shoulder-length hair similar to the way Jharkhand’s sports icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni used to do before becoming the India captain, said on Tuesday that the added responsibility was very much to his liking.
"It feels nice when you are pushed high up the order and when the captain shows faith in your ability," said the former India under-19 player ahead of his team’s fifth tie against the Dhoni-led the Chennai at the Cricket Club of India on Thursday.
Tiwary has forged a good understanding with Indian Cricket League returnee Ambati Tirupati Rayudu on two out of three occasions the two youngsters could bat together in the middle.
The Jharkhand youngster, who has batted with great freedom and has shown his ability to hit the ball hard and get boundaries even when the field has been spread out after the Power Play overs, and the classy-looking Rayudu had combined forces to add a match-winning 110 runs in Mumbai's lung-opener on March 13 against Jaipur that pushed the score to an imposing 212 for six.
Tiwary cracked a 33-ball 53 in that match with the help of four fours and a six and the duo was again in the forefront with a 71-run stand against Delhi in their second tie at the Ferozshah Kotla on March 17, with the former making 61 in 37 balls with 3 sixes and 4 fours.
On Monday night, Tiwary, who made 30 off 24 balls at no. 3, was guided by Tendulkar as the duo put on 56 quick runs with the batting great in a winning cause against Kolkata.
Tiwary credited the IPL with showcasing talents like his to the Indian fans, saying even a hundred in other domestic tournaments in India would not gain the attention that the T20 mega event generates in the media.
"The IPL is a good platform where if you score even 20 runs you get noticed. You get more press coverage while even a hundred in the domestic cricket matches (like Ranji Trophy) may not be noticed," he pointed out.
Tiwary has had very limited opportunity to rub shoulders with Dhoni for the state team, but said these chances have enabled him to learn a lot from the India captain.
"I have played a few matches with Dhoni and learned a lot. He talks about other things in life away from the cricket field and tells how you should live your life,” he said.
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