Manoj Tiwary reverses retirement decision; set to play for another year

Seems like Manoj Tiwary is not going anywhere. Five days ago, he announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket to focus on his public life as a politician and a minister with the Bengal Government, but he has decided to go back on his decision, citing the previous one came from an "emotional" standpoint. 

Cricket Association of Bengal president Snehasish Ganguly convinced him to retire on the field and he should thus give one more year of commitment to Bengal cricket in the red-ball format.

"Raj da [Snehasish Ganguly] convinced me to continue playing for one more year and I should leave while on the field. So I thought about it. I spoke to my wife, and she convinced me too.

"She reminded me I was the captain when Bengal reached the Ranji Trophy final last year. And then Raj da spoke to me, I thought about it and decided to come back. A lot of fans also wrote to me and asked me to reconsider my decision."

Tiwary has played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, but turning up time and again for his state side even when chances of playing for India diminished gradually has been the most impressive aspect of his career. He always merited an automatic selection, but the way he steered the ship by guiding many youngsters added to his folklore. Leading Bengal to two Ranji Trophy finals within three years, Tiwary has carved a distinct niche for himself as a leader. 

"The reason was… I am an emotional person - some of you might be able to relate to this - a phase comes when things go blank, and people make decisions in haste. I did too. Then I realised that it was a mistake. So I am coming out of retirement for one last year.

"Bengal cricket has given me everything, so I want to give Bengal one more year, I want to give Bengal one more try. When I make the announcement next year, there won't be a U-turn. I was a little selfish in making the decision. It was an emotional decision. But I realised that it was not a collective [for the team] decision."

The last time Tiwary turned up for India was against Zimbabwe in 2015, after making his senior India debut in 2008 against Australia. He never got a consistent run to prove his credentials at the top level, but he will have an opportunity to make it to 10,000 runs in FC cricket, for he currently has 9908 runs at an average of 48.56, which included 29 centuries and 45 fifties. He managed an average of 42.28 in List A cricket while accumulating 5581 runs.