Tiwary blames openers for Bengal's loss in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary was understandably upset with the approach of his openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Shreevats Goswami, who went into the final with hundreds to their names. Chasing a meagre target of 218, Easwaran consumed 11 balls for his 1 before being run-out while Goswami's 23 came off 46 balls. If one takes Goswami's three fours out of the equation, he played 43 deliveries to score 11 runs. "I don't what was going through their (openers) minds as it was a very slow start to be honest. Seven runs in 7 overs is unacceptable. Considering both scored 100 in the last game, it was very difficult to understand the mindset. 100 out of 100 times, I will take a target of 217. Once the scoreboard pressure was on us, we could have still made it but we lost wickets at regular intervals," said Tiwary after the match. Tiwary said that Easwaran and Shreevats needs to be guided on how to win big maches. "This match shows they are still young at this level. Mentally, they need to be matured and taught how to win big matches. These are things individuals need to work. They got themselves under too much pressure. May be live coverage, the occasion but these are things at one level you learn on your own. Also, there need to be people who teach them."