Manoj Tiwary hit a brilliant century under pressure in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2022 semi-final against Madhya Pradesh. Tiwary has been making headlines for his consistent run in the knockout games but he made the headlines again for taking out a handmade note after breaching the three figures to appreciate his family's love.
Tiwary acknowledged the applause from the dressing room before his unexpected gesture towards his wife and kids.
The Bengal Sports Minister rescued Bengal from 54/5 with the help of Shahbaz Ahmed who went on to score 116. Tiwary could not continue after reaching his century and got out for 102 on Day 3 before the new ball was due. Saransh Jain broke the sixth-wicket partnership of 183 runs that saved Bengal from a disappointing first innings score.
The partnership helped Bengal reduce Madhya Pradesh's first innings lead to 68 runs. The tailenders could not contribute much to the score and Bengal got bundled out for 273. Only three Bengal batters managed to score in double digits.
Tiwary's services will be needed again as Madhya Pradesh have already taken a 231-run lead at the end of Day 3. It will take a monumental effort from the 36-year-old batter to help Bengal make a comeback in the game and make it to their second Ranji Trophy final in a row. Tiwary tried his hand with some off-spin as well towards the end of Day 3. He did not get any wicket but conceded just three runs in his two overs.
Earlier, in the quarter-final clash against Jharkhand, he scored 73 in the first innings followed by 136 in the second innings. In the first innings, he was one of the nine batters to register a fifty-plus score. It ended up rewriting history books of First-Class cricket. In the second innings, he was the standout batter with a relatively quick century.
Bengal ended up winning the match on the basis of their monstrous first innings score of 773/7 before declaration came from skipper Anustup Majumdar.
