Abhimanyu Easwaran's father breaks silence on son's never ending wait: 'I don't understand...'
Top-order batter
Abhimanyu Easwaran
wasn't picked in India's line-up for the fifth Test against England, extending his wait for a Test debut to 961 days since first being selected in the Indian Test squad.
Easwaran didn't get a chance in the ongoing Test series against England, nor in the last edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series.
The Indian team made four changes to their lineup for the final Test, with Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep being included.
"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 Abhimanyu's father Ranganathan Easwaran in an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
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"Then how do they 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 stated that he has been interacting with Abhimanyu during the ongoing Test series against England and providing words of encouragement.
India vs England 5th Test Preview: Can Shubman Gill's India level the series at The Oval?
"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.
Former India cricketer
Arun Lal
, who earlier served as the head coach of the Bengal cricket team, stated that he is absolutely baffled by Abhimanyu's non-selection for such an extended period of time.
Poll
Should Abhimanyu Easwaran have been selected for the fifth Test against England?
Yes, he deserves a chance
No, other players are more deserving
"I have no idea why he isn't being picked in the lineup.
It has been so long. Abhimanyu has been performing well and delivering consistent performances. The team management doesn't seem to have too much confidence in him," said Lal.
Abhimanyu's coach Vijayakumar Madyalkar termed the cricketer's preparation for the Test series against England "brilliant," stating that he was eagerly awaiting an opportunity to play.
"He asked for specific bouncing tracks to negotiate the pace and swing. Abhimanyu would bat for two hours in the morning and one hour in the evening, barring his usual fitness and gym schedule. He was ready to negotiate any challenge that came his way. Abhimanyu would have definitely done very well if he was given an opportunity," stated Madyalkar.
India currently trail 1-2 in the five-match Test series against England. Both teams are missing high-profile players, with Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, and Jasprit Bumrah among the noteworthy omissions.
For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the
India vs England Test match
here.
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