Treating each chance as my last: Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary spent a major part of the last year on the benches. But after he did well when he finally got the chance against Sri Lanka in the One-Day International series recently, Tiwary seems to have sealed a place in the starting XI, at least for the next few matches. And, wiser at the end of a roller-coaster year, Tiwary said that he is treating every international match as his last.

"I have learnt that I should treat each and every game as my last chance to perform at the international level," said Tiwary. "Whether it's with the bat or the ball, I have to just perform. I would be lying if I say that I wasn't under any kind of pressure. If you sit out for long, you tend to feel the jitters."

Tiwary, earlier known as a competent batsman and above average fielder, has added wicket-taking leg-spinner to his repertoire now, and that has made him more confident. "I knew that I have the temperament and confidence to perform on a big stage. I know that even if I don't get a chance to bat or bowl, I can save at least 12-15 runs with my fielding," said Tiwary. "When I reached Chennai for the short camp before the Sri Lanka tour, I was regularly bowling a lot of leg-spin and I could sense that my skipper was happy. He has told me to bowl more and more along with my batting."

Tiwary scored 21 while picking up four wickets in his first outing in Sri Lanka, but made up with a solid 65 in the next game, which India won to tale the series 4-1. "Yes, I got some runs but was disappointed with the way I got out," said Tiwary. "If you watch my dismissals in domestic cricket as well as international cricket, I have hardly been dismissed by short-pitched stuff. Since I have widened my stance a bit and I now walk once the bowler is on his stride, I was in two minds.

"I have watched the video of my dismissal and would work at the nets during the next two weeks under my childhood coach Manabendra Ghosh before the New Zealand Twenty20."