IPL exposure has helped many others to showcase their talent at the highest level
Abhimanyu Easwaran finally got his long-awaited chance to play for India in Test cricket after years of toil in the domestic circuit as he was picked for the five-match series beginning on June 20.
Besides that, he will also be captaining the India ‘A’ side that will play two four-day games against England Lions and one intra-squad match between May 30 and June 16.
The right-hander had made his first-class debut for Bengal way back in 2013 and has been part of multiple India ‘A’ shadow tours but never made the cut into the final squad for a series.
He was also part of the India ‘A’ side in 2018 when India toured England, but was ignored. Most recently, he played the unofficial Tests against Australia ‘A’ before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but failed to make good of his opportunity with scores of 7, 12, 0 and 17 due to which Devdutt Padikkal got roped into the final squad and even played a Test.
Besides all that, his father Ranganathan Easwaran singled out one reason for his son’s non-selection into the national team all these years – not playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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Easwaran has never played a game of IPL despite being one of the most consistent batters in the domestic circuit. Even though his style of batting hasn’t been preferred by IPL franchises, his father is adamant that his son could’ve benefited by getting picked in the auction.
“Abhimanyu would’ve made his Team India debut long back had he got a chance to showcase his prowess in IPL. The tournament makes a big difference due to greater visibility. Abhimanyu is not a flamboyant player and doesn’t run around the ground after scoring centuries. These things go against him,” Easwaran’s father Ranganathan told in a chat with Times of India.
He listed out his son’s numbers in First-Class cricket in order to show why he was picked for the England tour.
“Abhimanyu has been a solid performer which is evident from his tally of 7,674 runs in 101 first-class matches at an average of 48.87. His experience across conditions in New Zealand, Australia, England and West Indies further sets him apart from other contenders,” Ranganthan added.
He also revealed the specialised training Easwaran is going through in Dehradun to mimic English conditions and get acclimatised to them.
“Abhimanyu wakes up at 5.30 AM and spends hours facing pacers. We’ve organised two dozen duke balls to ensure no gap in preparation. He’s batting on a green wicket with red soil because the bounce enables him to prepare extensively for English conditions,” Ranganathan said.
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