Kolkata: Bengal's middle-order batsman Manoj Tiwary on Monday scored his maiden triple ton in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Hyderabad at Kalyani Stadium.
The 34-year-old, who has played 12 ODIs and 3 T20 Internationals, was at his sublime best, smashing 30 fours and five sixes, en route to his unbeaten 303 from 414 balls at a strike rate of 73.19. His marathon knock lasted 10 hours and 30 minutes.
His final 50 came off just 37 balls as he got to the landmark in the fourth ball of the final session of the second day, gliding part-timer Buddhi Rahul through covers boundary. Bengal immediately declared their first innings at 635 for seven.
His marathon innings helped him become the first batsman from Bengal to hit a triple hundred in Ranji Trophy in 21 years. His previous best was 267 as Bengal skipper against Madhya Pradesh in a drawn encounter in Kolkata in 2011-12 season.
He also became only the second batsman from Bengal to score a triple century in Ranji Trophy after former India batsman Devang Gandhi's 323-run effort against Assam way back in 1998.
His brilliant innings on Monday came at a time when he is going through difficult times, having remained unsold in the IPL auctions last month before getting embroiled in a controversy when he asked national selector Devang Gandhi to leave the Bengal team dressing room for his "unauthorised" entry.
He was also axed from captaincy in the beginning of the season, with the selectors opting for 24-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran.
After Tiwary's sensational innings, it was time for Bengal pace duo of Akash Deep (3/46) and Mukesh Kumar (2/29) to wreak havoc as they reduced Hyderabad to 83 for five in the final session as Hyderabad still trail Bengal by 552 runs with two days left.
Slipped to 10th position in the Elite cross pool, Bengal will look for a bonus point victory to remain in the hunt.
