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Manoj Tiwary who is not as known much for his big hitting shots but is certainly a core member of the Rising Pune Supergiants is currently playing with a strike rate of 147 feels that the youngsters are having a very fearless approach towards the game
“Personally, I have (had) that preparation that in this IPL I’m going to play with a high strike rate,” Tiwary said on Thursday (May 11). “I’ve always wanted to play according to the situation of the game. If you recall, there were a few editions where I batted out of my position, so those kinds of adjustments at times it works, at times it won’t work because before the IPL you won’t know which position (you will bat) and what kind of role you will get. So, we don’t prepare accordingly.
“Normally I bat at No. 4, so I come into the IPL with that preparation and that mindset. But in the team you are given a role which is completely against your nature, so my challenge was to play at a higher strike rate no matter what the situation is. Because that’s where the format is heading. T20 is going to be the future, so I hope I can make few more good contributions in winning causes and can see the team winning the trophy this year.”
But as per Tiwary’s own admission, the tendency to bat in a fearless manner is something that the youngsters are implementing in recent times. It’s a pattern that he admits is rampant in the Indian domestic scene, as well in the longer format. “The little observation I’ve seen is that players are becoming more fearless, not only in the IPL, I think all the youngsters have got an idea on how to approach a game of cricket in all three formats,” he said. “I’m saying this because I’ve observed a lot of young players, also the players who have been playing domestic cricket for number of years, they are playing very aggressively in Ranji Trophy as well.”
Tiwary believes that players have changed their approach in order to get noticed and fetch an IPL contract, and hence even a decent strike rate of 120 doesn’t sound good enough in the format. “The change is because of the thought process that they have to do well, they have to get into the IPL. So, accordingly, they are playing more aggressively and they are becoming more fearless,” he pointed out. “Every year, the game is going to the next level, even a strike rate of 110 and 120 isn’t good enough nowadays. But however, if you see, a strike rate of 110 and 120 makes an impact as well depending upon the situation.”
After starting the tournament with three losses in the first four matches, Supergiant have turned things around by winning seven out of their next eight. Tiwary is pleased that the players have peaked at the right time during the second half of the tournament. “Each and every player is peaking at the right time at the business end of the tournament which is a very good sign,” he said. “We have seen performances come under pressure situations from each and everyone. Team is looking very happy.”
“We know we have a tough challenge ahead. We have seen they chased over 200 here and few of the youngsters have been playing really well, especially Rishabh (Pant) is fearless and Sanju as (Samson) well. When you have players who don’t have anything to lose – especially when they play in a very aggressive manner and with positive intent – when they come off, we have seen the results. But we are pretty much aware of those things and I’m sure our bowling coach will definitely come up with few ideas, few areas on where to bowl and lets hope our bowlers can execute their plans.”