Honour to play under Kevin Pietersen: Manoj Tiwary

"Kevin Pietersen has been my idol and it will be a great honour for me to play under his captaincy. I am sure, I will learn a lot from him," said Tiwary. (TOI Photo)

KOLKATA: Injuries have always come at the wrong time for Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary, who has repeatedly missed out on the action after being in the mix for a India berth. The former Bengal skipper missed the entire 2013-14 domestic season due to a knee injury. Tiwary, who was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils at the IPL players' auctions in February, will be turning out for the franchise for the second time, having played for them in the first two editions of the T20 event before switching allegiance to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010 in a swap deal. The stylish right-hander spoke to TOI about his injury-related heart-breaks and the upcoming IPL-7. Excerpts:


Importance of IPL-7 for you...

It will be very important. I have been out of action for about seven months. I need to make a fresh start and the IPL provides me with a big platform to get noticed again.


How did you cope with the injury?

It was quite frustrating as there is little you can do when you are injured. I have always been one of the fittest guys in the team, but I had been badly hit by injuries. So you have to accept that and keep faith and hope that you will again get a chance. I have listened to motivational speeches on the net and read about amazing comeback stories of players to keep my spirit up during this period.


It must be difficult to get over a knee injury for a batsman?

A batsman has to shift his body weight from one leg to the other while playing shots. Knees play a very important role. I am okay now and got some runs in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 meets. But the IPL will be hectic. There will be back-to-back matches and a lot of traveling. I am confident of getting through the grind.


Your take on the Daredevils...

I am really excited to be playing for the Delhi Daredevils again. I am eager to work with their magnificent support staff. I was not with the Indian team when Gary Kirsten was the coach but my fellow-players spoke highly about him. I am sure he (Gary) will help me get over my shortcomings. Then we have Eric Simons and TA Sekhar sir. They are all very good professionals and I am eager to work with them.


And what about the players?

Kevin Pietersen has been my idol and it will be a great honour for me to play under his captaincy. I am sure, I will learn a lot from him. I feel we have a strong team and we hope to do well.


What do you reckon would be your ideal number to bat?

It's for the team management to decide. However, in a T20 match, it's always good to bat up the order as you get the play maximum balls that way. I would prefer that but I am ready to bat at any position the team management wants me to
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