Bengal sports minister Manoj Tiwary put up a fantastic performance for his state team in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Jharkhand, helping them qualify for the semi-finals.
Tiwary scored a half-century in the first innings and missed the opportunity to get to a ton as he got run out on 73. However, he did manage to cross the three-figure mark in the second innings and went on to score 136 runs.
Bengal, who created a world record in the first innings as nine of its batters managed to cross the half-century mark, ended the innings with a mammoth score of 773/7 on the board.
Despite the match ending in a draw, Bengal made its way to the Ranji Trophy semi-final as they took the lead in the first innings.
Tiwary stated after the game that his main regret in his Bengal career is the lack of a Ranji Trophy title, which he looks forward to change this time.
"I have always given 100 percent for my Bengal. The only thing I regret is not winning Ranji Trophy for my team as I had played three finals for Bengal. This time I have motivated myself with the same hunger and made necessary adjustments and sacrifices to reach the goal," the sports minister said.
On being asked about how he was balancing his life amidst two full-time careers, Tiwary admitted that it was difficult but he needed to prove that he could do it.
"She has played a huge role in raising the profile of women's cricket” says ICC CEO on Mithali Raj
"Life's never easy, it will have problems and you'll have to fight through it. There's planning as it's not easy when you are balancing two roles. This was one of the times when I needed to prove to myself."
Since he has been working as a politician, Tiwary has been questioned about the issue of commitment several times. Opening up about the same, the 36-year-old batter said that people underestimate his love for Bengal.
"When people question about me playing for Bengal after entering the ministry, they don't know about my emotions and feelings for Bengal cricket. My dream was to play for Bengal when I started playing cricket, when I finally got the chance, I wanted to win Ranji Trophy for this team and wanted to contribute my best."
Bengal lost to Saurashtra in the final of the Ranji Trophy last time. Abhimanyu Easwaran's team hasn't lost a single game this season and will look forward to maintaining the momentum when they face their next challenge in the semis.
(India Today inputs)
