New Delhi: Manoj Tiwary rightfully earned the tag of `Mr Patience` as his wait for an international match was turning into eternity, but the 26-year-old was not found wanting when he finally got a chance in the playing XI.
Tiwary had to sit for 14 consecutive matches after scoring his maiden ODI ton against the West Indies last November in Chennai.
"I have learnt one thing. I should treat each and every game as my last chance to perform at the international level. Whether it`s with the bat or the ball, I have to just perform," Tiwary, who scored a half century and took four wickets in the two ODIs, told a news agency on Monday.
"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. But at the same time, I knew that I have the temperament and confidence to perform on 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," the Bengal youngster, who is a part of the World T20 squad added.
Did he believe that he could take four wickets with his leg breaks, he was quick to reply,
"When I reached Chennai for the short camp, MS (Dhoni) came upto me and told me to bowl leg-spinners in the nets. So it wasn`t a fluke. I was regularly bowling a lot of leg-breaks and I could sense that my skipper was happy. He has told me to bowl more and more along with my batting."
Leg-spin is a tough ask considering the risk of getting hit if one fails to find his spot. The Bengal skipper felt that when one has a captain like Dhoni, one would know how to handle an orthodox leg-break bowler.
"A good captain is necessary to handle a traditional leg-break bowler and Dhoni knows how to handle my bowling."
Asked about his innings of 65 at Pallekele, Tiwary was a trifle disappointed about getting out to a short ball.
"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," he said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, August 13, 2012, 20:06