It has been 961 days and counting as Abhimanyu Easwaran continues to wait with bated breath for his India debut. While the England tour seemed like his best chance, especially after impressing in the two India A tour games, the continued rejection left him ‘depressed’, said his father, who lashed out at head coach Gautam Gambhir, questioning the logic behind preferring Karun Nair over his son.
In 2021, Easwaran received two call-ups from the BCCI selectors, albeit as a standby — first for a home Test series against England, and then for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. His first official inclusion in the Indian squad came in 2022, for the Test series against Bangladesh. Since then, he has regularly been part of the Test set-up as a back-up top-order batter but has yet to make his debut.
During the ongoing England tour, India made several changes to their playing XI — including four for the final Test at The Oval — but Easwaran’s wait continued.
Speaking to TimesofIndia.com, Abhimanyu’s father, Ranganathan Easwaran, questioned why Nair was preferred over his son. He pointed out that not only has the 29-year-old been consistent in domestic cricket, but he was also picked for the Duleep Trophy, Irani Trophy, and the tour of Australia last year.
“I’m not keeping a count of the number of days that Abhimanyu has been waiting for his Test debut. I am counting the years; it has been three years now. What is the job of a player? It is to score runs. He has done that. People said he didn’t perform in two India A matches during the last tour of Australia and didn’t get into the team, which is fair enough. But Karun Nair wasn’t in the team during the period when Abhimanyu performed before the BGT. Karun wasn’t picked for the Duleep Trophy or the Irani Trophy. Abhimanyu scored close to 864 runs if you consider the period from last year to the current year,” said Ranganathan.
“Then how do they even compare? I don’t understand. They gave a chance to Karun Nair. Fair enough, he scored 800-plus runs. The selectors have put faith in him,” he added.
Ranganathan said he has been in regular touch with his son throughout the series, trying to keep him motivated. However, he admitted he has struggled to understand how some players have managed to break into India’s Test squad based on their T20 performances in the IPL.
“My son looks a little depressed, but that is bound to happen. Some players jump the gun based on IPL performances which earn them a spot in the Test team. IPL performances should not be counted while selecting the team for the longest format. Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Irani Trophy should be the basis for Test selection,” he said.
