Manoj Tiwary lashes out at team-mates

Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal captain, has lashed out at some of his players, whom he said were pursuing "individual goals" and not performing as a unit, following his team's drawn game against Saurashtra in Kolkata. Saurashtra piled up 650 in their first innings and bowled out Bengal for 456 to enforce the follow-on.

Reacting to the below-par performance, Tiwary said: "It's time to bid goodbye to our reputation and play as a unit now in the present context. Instead of playing for individual goals, our players need to focus on the team goal. There is a room for improvement in that area."

Saurashtra gained three points from the game as a result of their first-innings lead while Bengal had to settle with one. The teams are separated by just one point on the Group B table, with Bengal ahead.

Tiwary asserted the need for introspection among the players in the side. "We need to sit together, discuss what is going wrong and rectify our mistakes," he said. "We have tough two matches ahead (against Uttar Pradesh and Delhi)."

Tiwary led a team that included former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who managed just 16 in Bengal's first innings. When asked if Ganguly will participate in Bengal's upcoming fixture against UP, Tiwary said: "I don't know. He is in the best position to answer this."