Journeyman Saurabh Tiwary eyes IPL success

CHENNAI: Saurabh Tiwary wants to make a fresh start. The 28-year-old Jharkhand cricketer, who made his India ODI debut in 2010, is eager to make it count this IPL in the colours of Mumbai Indians.
A hard-hitting left-hander, Tiwary has fallen off the radar over the last few years and is keen on redeeming himself. And one major way of doing it is by scoring runs at every given opportunity.
The Jamshedpur-born cricketer has kept the fire burning in him by travelling to various parts of the country featuring in different leagues to keep himself in form ahead of the IPL.
He took part in Kolkata league and later in the DY Patil T20 tournament post the completion of domestic season. Tiwary, still, didn’t opt for a cooling off period. He came down to Chennai to play a couple of games for Triplicane Sports Club in the TNCA second division league (50-overs format) in February. The southpaw is now in Jamshedpur taking part in an inter-state T20 competition.
“I just want to keep playing as much as I can before the IPL. I want to make this season count. I won't get too much time to get into groove during the IPL. Thus it’s up to me to put in that extra and be prepared. Irrespective of the format, scoring runs and being in form matters,” Tiwary told TOI.
A dream season with Mumbai Indians in 2010 saw Tiwary make it to the national side the same year. However, things haven’t been the same since then. Tiwary suffered a shoulder injury, put on more weight and hasn’t been a regular in the playing eleven of an IPL franchisee.
But Tiwary doesn’t feel “disheartened” at the turn of events. “I'm a cricketer. My duty is to play the sport. I wanted to play league in Chennai about four years back. But couldn’t due to a shoulder injury. Now I had an opportunity and wanted to make use of it.
“In India, both red-ball and white-ball cricket are important. The competitiveness is high in both first and second division in Chennai,” he added.
Tiwary further mentioned that he is working hard on his fitness to get back into top shape. “I have got better this year on the fitness part. Mumbai Indians trainer Paul has given me a schedule and has been monitoring my training programme. I’m following his instructions. This IPL is key for me. Anyone who aspires to make a comeback has to do well in the IPL,” said Tiwary and added that motivating words from MS Dhoni, who mentors the Jharkhand side, has inspired him.