Abhimanyu Easwaran’s first India A appearance came back in July 2018. Seven years and 30 first-class outings later – the most for any current India A player, with KS Bharat next on 21 – the coveted Test cap remains just out of reach. The 30-year-old opener is again in the development squad, this time for two four-day matches against Australia A, and the familiar grind resumes.
India A coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar, speaking in Lucknow on the eve of the series, sees no drop in motivation.
“Abhimanyu is an experienced player. He has captained Bengal and played a lot of cricket at the higher level. So there isn’t much need to say a lot to him because he knows how cricket is played,” Kanitkar said.
The coach does not sense frustration, only focus.
“It was not a big challenge to talk to him because he is already prepared. He knows what to do if opportunities don’t come. One good thing is that he stays very motivated to challenge himself, push himself, perform well. And if he gets a chance at the higher level, do well there too. He is mentally very strong, prepared, and is also playing well.”
Kanitkar added a direct assessment of form:
“He is batting well. He is in good form and in good touch. He is a very, very good player who has done it [for India A] many times. So I think he is ready for the challenge now. He is in a good place right now in terms of batting and the way managing his cricket.”
Lucknow, the venue for the opening fixture, should stir positive memories for the right-hander. In three first-class games at the ground he has reached three figures each time, piling up 471 runs at an average just shy of 118. Last season he produced 191 for Rest of India in the Irani Cup, then followed up ten days later with 127 not out for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. That purple patch earned a call-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad, though a Test debut did not materialise.
Few Indian players have hovered on the fringe for so long without crossing the line, but Easwaran’s approach remains measured rather than agitated. Team-mates describe him as meticulous in preparation, content to compile long innings rather than chase quick runs. For India A he is expected to provide exactly that: calm starts that set up totals, particularly against an Australia A attack designed to mimic the Test side’s methods.
The national selectors meet again next month to finalise the squad for the home Tests against West Indies. Easwaran, as ever, can do little more than score runs and wait. A pair of substantial contributions in Lucknow and Bengaluru would make it awkward to overlook him yet again, but nothing is guaranteed.
For now, the opener stays on the road he knows best: patient, organised, and quietly confident that the door to the senior side will eventually open.
