Ujjain Falcons seam-bowling all-rounder Madhav Tiwari says the tightest moments of a cricket match are where he finds his best game, crediting a team-first mindset over personal milestones for his consistent showings in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026.

The Match-Winning Mindset

Reflecting on his all-round display against the Indore Pink Panthers — where he claimed 3 wickets for 22 runs and contributed a handy 31 off 34 balls — Tiwari attributed the performance to a competitive instinct that never fully switches off. 'If I want to speak personally, I would have taken one more wicket. Every cricketer has a little bit of greed, as we want to do as well as they can,' he said.

He added that while he would have preferred to finish the innings unbeaten, the team victory mattered most. 'If I had finished in the batting and remained not out, then I would have been a little more satisfied, obviously. But at the end, the team won, and it's very nice,' he said.

Why Pressure Brings Out His Best

Asked what allows him to thrive in knife-edge situations, Tiwari pointed squarely to a singular focus on the team's result. 'I don't know when the situation is tough or challenging. Either my brain works very well there, or I don't know much, because when I play cricket, I have only one priority — how to get my team a win? So the pressure situation obviously triggers me a lot,' he said.

He emphasised that while skills — honed over eight to nine years of playing cricket — form the foundation, the mental edge is what separates performances under pressure. 'It's all mental when you are in a pressure situation and how badly you want to perform for your team,' he noted.

The Delhi Capitals Influence

Tiwari, who hails from Mauganj in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, has been part of the Delhi Capitals setup in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the past two seasons. He credited time in the dressing room alongside Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Starc, and David Miller as transformative for his approach to the game.

In IPL 2026, Tiwari had a breakthrough campaign, dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shubham Dubey, Priyansh Arya, and Cooper Connolly with his seam bowling, and hitting an unbeaten 18 off eight balls to seal a Delhi Capitals win over Punjab Kings in Dharamshala — earning him the Player of the Match award. 'I learnt a lot from my senior players. I had long conversations with them and with the coaches. I will try to implement that in MPL and become more consistent,' he said.

The All-Rounder's Dual Burden

On managing bowling and batting responsibilities simultaneously — his 'I am a 100% batter and 100% bowler' declaration from IPL 2026 still resonating — Tiwari acknowledged the demands but highlighted the advantage of having multiple avenues to influence a match. 'If you don't have a good day of batting, you can make a comeback and make your team win with your bowling. If you don't have a day in bowling, you can make your team win with your batting,' he explained.

He added that fitness and mental recovery are central to sustaining that dual role. 'The more you stay mentally free, and the more you know what to do in a particular session, the more it goes hand in hand,' he said.

MPL to IPL: A Platform That Changed Everything

Tiwari, who earned his Delhi Capitals contract on the back of his MPL performances, recalled the gravity of that first trial. 'I had a gut feeling when I played at the MPL for the first time and realised how important this platform is. I took it very seriously,' he said, adding that being selected in his very first year at the trials was something he considers himself 'very fortunate' for.

With Ujjain Falcons facing slim play-off prospects, Tiwari said the squad's focus has shifted to signing off the season on a high. 'Our focus is to give 200 percent in our last match, and whatever happens next will be taken care of,' he said.