Bengal Sports Minister Manoj Tiwary Fuels State's Ranji Trophy Dream As Captain

15.02.2023 - 20:17 sports.ndtv.com

"I am still minister of state for sports," Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary declared with a smile, as he rushed to attend his senior in the ministry Aroop Biswas during a visit to the Eden Gardens on the eve of the Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra in Kolkata on Wednesday.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for the 37-year-old Tiwary who was clueless about his career when his knees "gave up" and the whole world came under the grip of COVID-19 pandemic just after Bengal lost in the Ranji final against Saurashtra in 2020.

With the pandemic disrupting the sporting calendar, Tiwary, battling issues in both knees, found his career at the crossroads when he got an offer from the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to join Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

He readily took up the offer, won Shibpur constituency in Howrah district and succeeded his senior Bengal teammate Laxmi Ratan Shukla as the Minister of State for Sports.

cricket India Cricket Team minister as Manoj Tiwary India Kolkata

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