I'm ready for Tests, says Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary's international dreams are yet to take wings. Injury almost buried his India career and then a century was not enough to cement a spot in the national side. And he is yet to get a taste of being in the Test squad. HT reports.

Manoj Tiwary's international dreams are yet to take wings. Injury almost buried his India career and then a century was not enough to cement a spot in the national side. And he is yet to get a taste of being in the Test squad.

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A shoulder injury on the eve of his first ODI in 2007 in Bangladesh ruled Tiwary out of the series, and national reckoning, for close to a year. In December 2011, he scored a century on a slow track against West Indies at Chennai. Despite the century, the 26-year-old had to wait for eight months for his next international game.

Though the Bengal batsman has been a regular member of the limited-over squads for close to eighteen months, he has just eight ODIs and three T20Is to show for that.

Learning curve
Tiwary's solid 93 gave him useful time in the middle. "I was waiting for an opportunity to bat longer. I have not been playing lately, so it is my first match after a while," said Tiwary.

Scoring runs against England gets a valuable mention on a player's resume, and it becomes crucial when an India spot is at stake. While Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were considered frontrunners, Tiwary could have quietly edged past them. "There is a competition going on for the No. 6 slot but it is up to the selectors to decide. But I am ready for Test cricket."

Coach's vote
However, India 'A' coach Lalchand Rajput believes Yuvraj is ahead of the others. "Yuvi has done enough to see that he is there in the Test team. The way he batted, he outclassed everyone," he said.