New Delhi, Dec 12: Manoj Tiwary didn't know much about British athlete Derek Redmond before he bumped into a Youtube clip of former British 400m runner while searching for motivational videos on the internet.
"I was searching for motivational videos on Youtube when I glanced through Redmond's clip. That was the 400m semi-final at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Redmond tore his hamstring at the midway and hopped his way to the finishing point as crowd gave him a standing ovation. That clip was an inspiration when I was cramping up with more than 20 runs to get to my ton," Tiwary said.
He has been in and out of the team during the past one year but Tiwary knew that he needed one big knock.
"Let's get it straight. I felt this was my last chance to prove a point. We have three guys Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli) and Suresh (Raina) playing well consistently. So, to be in the reckoning, I needed a special knock. Thankfully, I have got one and would like to continue the good work," Tiwary said referring to his maiden ODI hundred against the West Indies in Chennai last night.
The 26-year-old feels that "self belief" has been the key for him.
"I have never doubted my abilities. Not for once since my India U-19 days. Today, when I walked out there in the middle, my mind was blank. I played each and every ball on its merit and didn't want to think too much about the pitch. Often reading too much into the conditions clutter your mind," Tiwary said.
Ask him about his best shot during the innings, he was quick to point out that there were two which were his favourites.
"My first boundary off (Kemar) Roach was a shot I played well and the six that I hit off (Sunil) Narine was also pretty satisfying."
He thanked regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni along with stand-in-captain Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for making him feel comfortable in the Indian dressing room.
"MS has been extremely helpful with his suggestions to improve. I am thankful to Virubhai, who came up to me and asked about which number would I prefer to bat.
"As far as Gautambhai is concerned, we have now struck a good understanding having played a lot in IPL and Champions League T20 together. We have had long partnerships and he has given me some nice tips about how to play spinners," he said.
