Young opener Abhimanyu Easwaran was overlooked by the selectors for India’s upcoming Test tour of South Africa, due to begin on December 26 in Centurion.
Easwaran was part of the Indian squad on the England tour earlier this year but couldn’t get a chance in the playing XI, with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma doing exceedingly well at the top.
During the recently concluded India A’s tour of South Africa, Easwaran featured in all three unofficial Tests and registered scores of 103, 0, 55, 28 and 19 in five innings. Despite the decent show, the 26-year-old failed to make the cut for the Test series against the Proteas.
The South Africa tour snub, however, hasn’t disappointed the Bengal opener as he is keen to work harder to find a place in the playing XI of the senior team in the future.
“Team selection does not bother me,” Easwaran told The Indian Express. “It is a dream to play for my country, and if I keep getting runs, one day, I will make it to the playing XI.”
India A’s captain for the South Africa tour, Priyank Panchal, got the opportunity in the senior team’s Test squad after veteran opener Rohit Sharma got ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury.
Easwaran said there are a lot of quality cricketers in India’s domestic circuit, creating a healthy competition for different slots.
“It’s always great to have competition, and especially in India, there are a lot of good cricketers who perform at domestic cricket and for India A. I think it’s really good to have a good competition.”
Abhimanyu Easwaran also shared his experience of spending time with greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on the tour of England.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have amazing self-belief. The way they prepare and have that belief that they will go out and win matches for the country is truly unique. I was lucky to watch them prepare from close quarters,” he recalled.
“The hunger they have to succeed is what makes them a cut above the rest. It was a great learning experience for me too because (I got to see what ) what it takes to play cricket at the highest level,” he said.
