From scoring a century in the day to save Bengal’s Ranji team’s innings from collapsing, in the evening it’s a day’s work for Manoj Tiwari as the youth affairs and sports minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress MLA from Shibpur. This is the reason why Manoj Tiwari’s routine remains very busy. He has to work 18-18 hours a day to manage sports along with politics.
The big question is multi-tasking to strike a balance between his two roles as a minister and a cricketer. Manoj Tiwary (36) gets into official work when his teammates take an ice bath in the evening to rejuvenate. Talking to The Indian Express, Manoj Tiwari says, ‘I have got used to it now. The constituency has a lot of work to do. Somebody needs a letter for Aadhar card and also there are some minor issues here and there. Also, we need to ensure that our government schemes reach the people.
“There are many files and documents that need to be signed, so I have a long day,” he says. Since I am playing a match and cannot go to my constituency office, I have asked to courier the files here. I sign the files and send them, so that my work is not hampered. After that I call my office and check the pending work status. I have people who give me daily updates on things that need to be done.
It would not be wrong to say that Manoj Tiwari’s first constituency is cricket. He scored a century in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru on Thursday i.e. 16 June 2022. Bengal bundled out Madhya Pradesh for 341 runs on the second day of the match. However, it was his century (102) and Shahbaz Ahmed (116) that helped Bengal reach 273 in the first innings.
When Manoj Tiwary came to the crease, Bengal had lost 3 wickets for 11 runs in 4 overs. After this, he along with captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and later Shahbaz Ahmed groomed Bengal’s faltering innings. Manoj Tiwari said, ‘I have been in such situations in the past too. It is just a matter of channeling all your efforts into a particular task and playing session after session. I told Shahbaz that we should try to stay at the crease as much as possible, the runs will come later.
Right-handed attacking batsman Manoj Tiwary represented India in 12 One Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals. Manoj Tiwari is fully aware that his Team India dream is over. He also went unsold in the last IPL auction. In such a situation, his chances of playing in the IPL are over. Now the question is why does he still play professional cricket?
Manoj Tiwary said, ‘It is my dream that Bengal win Ranji Trophy one day. I wanted it to happen when I was the captain, but sadly it didn’t happen then. Now, I want to be a part of Ranji Trophy winning team at least once in my life. This is the only reason that has inspired me.
After scoring a century on Thursday, Manoj Tiwary took out a letter from his pocket and showed it to Bengal’s dressing room. In that letter, Manoj Tiwari thanked his family for supporting him.
Manoj Tiwari said, ‘This journey has not been easy. Earlier I used to play only cricket. Now I don’t get any time at all. There are days when I reach home at 1 o’clock in the night and wake up early the next morning to leave for the party program. My wife has been a pillar of support behind me.