Tiwary set to go Mahi way

Ever since he returned from Malaysia as a member of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning squad two years ago, Saurabh Tiwary has lived in the shadow of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Amol Karhadkar reports.

Ever since he returned from Malaysia as a member of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning squad two years ago, Saurabh Tiwary has lived in the shadow of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

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Not only does he hail from Dhoni’s state, Jharkhand, the southpaw shares the well-built look. Tiwary, 20, also wears a hairstyle similar to the one Dhoni sported when he broke into the national squad.

After helping the Mumbai Indians off to a stunner in IPL III, Tiwary was in high spirits.

“The IPL is a nice platform to get yourself noticed,” Tiwary, who has 169 runs at a strike rate of 146.95 from four games, said on Tuesday.

Though he hasn’t talked at length to MSD, Tiwary has made the most of his limited interaction with him.

“We played together once during the first domestic T20 meet but I learnt a lot from him. He reads the game very quickly. He also advises you on how to behave off-field,” he said.

Before the Monday match, Tiwary, who has been with the Mumbai Indians since the inaugural season, was the only domestic cricketer to feature in the top-10 run-getters.

With four knocks, including two fifties, Tiwary has emerged from Dhoni’s shadow. It remains to be seen if the youngster follows Dhoni’s path and tastes success at the highest level.