"I obviously tell myself & I have this inside that I will never give up" - Abhimanyu Easwaran takes another India snub in stride

Elite athletes have a love-hate relationship with their respective sports. The latter comes out only when things happen against the run of play. And that’s because there are intense emotions involved.

Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran had every right to be disappointed when India’s squad for the two-Test series versus the West Indies was announced on June 23. He has been one of the most prolific run-scorers on the domestic circuit. And with the national side undergoing transition, the 27-year-old felt all at sea after getting overlooked for the Caribbean sojourn – a relatively easier assignment. His non-selection was accentuated by certain players making the cut based on anything but red-ball form.

The case seems even more baffling because the national selectors elevated Easwaran to the supply chain more than two years back. He has been in the India squad; he has captained India A; he has scored four hundreds – three of them came away from home – on the last three ‘A’ tours.

There have emerged cracks in the pipeline, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cutting down on these shadow tours. This has not only snatched the redemption platform for players way ahead in the queue, but it has also led to inconsistency in selections.

Since the 2017/18 Ranji Trophy, Abhimanyu Easwaran has scored 2890 runs at a staggering average of 62.79 in India's premier red-ball competition. In the same period, Ruturaj Gaikwad averages 42.92, Ishan Kishan 33.71 and Yashasvi Jaiswal 49.34. The trio has featured in significantly fewer number of matches.

The narrative justifying Easwaran's exclusion this time is his lack of runs in big games. Yes, he has a poor record in Ranji finals. But if we rightly extend the sample size, his twin hundreds in the 2017/18 quarters, the 153 in the 2019/20 Duleep Trophy final, the 154 in the last Irani Trophy - all were in winning causes. For the record, his 78 in the 2021/22 Ranji semi-final defeat to Madhya Pradesh came when no other Bengal batter could even reach 25.

In this love-hate equation, though, the passion for sport overpowers both extremes. It would have been very easy for Easwaran to get drawn into the cul-de-sac. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he reiterated that he is not ready to give up, no matter how long it takes for his childhood dream to come true. Perhaps, he has got this rhetoric on in his head as well to drown out the outside noise.

Some people get sad about heartbreaks, while some take them as a learning curve. In Easwaran’s case, he is adding a few more tricks to his repertoire while following the same process that has stirred up a bedlam over his non-selection.

He has been appointed East Zone captain for the very first time in the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Another landmark, and hopefully the start of a glass-ceiling-breaking season.

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Excerpts from Abhimanyu Easwaran's exclusive interview to Sportskeeda:

Abhimanyu Easwaran en-route his century against South Africa A in November 2021

Q. The squad for the West Indies Tests was announced a few days back. Many people were surprised with some selections and unhappy about certain names missing. How did you feel looking at the squad and how are you coping now?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: It’s natural to be a little disappointed. But I feel it’s about focusing on what’s up next and channelising my energy in what I want to work on and the tournament that I have in hand. So my focus is on Duleep Trophy now. And I feel it’s about not giving up, because I have had this dream as a kid. I will keep pushing every single day, I will keep giving my best very single day. I want to improve as a cricketer and be ready for the day when I get that opportunity, and I hope that opportunity comes soon.

Q. Having said that, how difficult is it for someone to score heaps of runs season after season and yet get ignored?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: Selection is something which is not in my control. All I can control is what I can think of. And right now, my focus is fully on Duleep Trophy and just trying to get prepared for it. We had a couple of sessions, so I am focusing on just preparing for it and giving my best for East Zone and trying to make my team win.

Q. Whenever our heart is broken, we try to come up with the most logical reason to console ourselves. What is that reason for you at this moment?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: No, I don’t think there’s any point doing that. You know your name is not there, and you have to work on what’s up next and be ready for when that chance comes. I feel it’s about being as ready as I can be and just improve as much as I can before that next team is announced or next opportunity comes my way.

Q. The BCCI has cut down on A tours because it apparently wants all the players to be available for the domestic season. Do you think it snatches the redemption platform for players like you who are way ahead in the queue?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: As a cricketer, you’d always want A tours because it’s not just about playing in different conditions but also getting prepared for what’s next. There was one point where India had a lot of shadow tours. Like whenever India went to Australia, the India A team would go to Australia as well. So tours like that were very helpful because you never know who’s going to play in the main series. Somebody might not be in touch, or the selectors feel that they want to pick another guy from the A team. So I think it’s always great to be prepared and those A tours were a great preparation and learning as cricketers. So as a cricketer, I’d obviously want a lot of A tours to happen, because it’s great exposure and it gives you that edge when you play for the country.

Q. But, this is not the first time you have been so close yet so far. How less affected are you now than you were the last time?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: It’s natural to be a little disappointed. But when you have such a big dream, that passion overpowers everything. I obviously tell myself and I have this inside me that I will never give up. Till the time I play cricket, my aim will always be to play for the country. So I want to focus on that. And I am really positive about that opportunity coming pretty soon and I just want to work hard on my game and focus on whatever tournaments I play. I want to be ready for the day I get picked and I just want to give it my best every single day I play cricket.

Q. Is there someone you confide in or rant out to when selections don’t go your way?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: I obviously have a very good support system. My family has always been supportive; they are always there for me. And my coach, Mr. Apoorva Desai. I obviously have a chat with him regarding my cricket or whatever I am working on or if things don’t go my way. So we have discussions about that and I am very lucky to have people like that in my life.

Q. Talking about the previous Ranji season, you scored 798 runs with 3 daddy hundreds. How satisfied were you with your performance?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: There’s obviously always a feeling to do more. It’s always a successful campaign if you are winning the tournament. We lost the finals, so I wasn’t too happy about that. If we had won, I’d feel really good about it.

Q. In that final against Saurashtra, the stage was set in the second innings for both you and Bengal to mount a fightback. You looked in good touch, hitting Jaydev Unadkat for two beautiful boundaries. And then that edge off Sakariya. How disappointed were you with yourself?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: I mean, it is disappointing because you’ve played so well throughout the tournament. And when you are in the finals, it can be tough because you make a mistake and you are gone. As a batter, it’s always a one-ball game. It was disappointing to not score runs in that game and put my team in a position where we actually could’ve set a target of about 200 runs. And you never know; with our bowling attack, we could have got them all out. It’s something that I missed out on, but there are a lot of learnings from that. If I get into a situation like this the next time, I will be better prepared and I’m sure I will win a lot of games for my team like that.

Q. There was this murmur that you haven’t really scored big in knockout games. Would you agree with that criticism?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: Everybody has their point of view and I respect that they can say whatever they want. But it doesn’t really affect me. For me, it’s just like any other game. My focus is to contribute to the team’s win, be it a group game or a club game. Whether I am playing for district, club – whatever team I am playing for – it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s just about contributing to my team’s win. I respect whatever people say and I try and get motivation from that.

Q. The Bengal opening partnership has been a revolving door in the last two seasons. You had six different opening partners for your eight matches. Is it unsettling is for you to not have a fixed partner?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: I have played with all these guys in club cricket – I have played with or against them – so it’s okay for me.

Q. A brand new season is starting and you have been appointed East Zone captain for the first time. How big a validation is that for you? And do you set yourself any targets for the season?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: It’s a proud feeling to lead East Zone and it feels good to be appointed captain. For me, I would like to take it one game at a time. But I am somebody who likes being there when my team needs me the most. This is an occasion where my team will need me because I am probably the most experienced batter in the squad. So it’ll be about being there when the situation is tough and contributing as much as I can with the bat and as a captain. I like to keep things simple; I am not really the one who sets number-goals. Obviously whenever I get a start, I want to make sure I make it big and put my team in a situation where we can control the game and eventually win it.

Q. Competitive sport is as much physical as it is mental. How do you train your mind to firstly play without any expectations and secondly not get mentally affected when things don’t go your way?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: That’s life – be it cricket or whatever you do in life. With time, you get to know more about yourself and understanding what sort of a mental setup you have and then working on it. In cricket, as a fan, you’d see it as a physical game. But I feel it’s more about what’s going on between the ears, keeping it pretty simple and being very clear about what your gameplans are. That is something which has been the key for me in the past few years. I feel I am somebody who’s well-prepared for a tournament and I have that clarity in my mind. And I just focus on keeping it as simple as I can and just taking it one ball at a time. If I can do that, I think that gives me the best chance to get big runs.

Q. When you get out in a big game, are you that person who’d lock yourself in and not talk to anyone? Or do you take it in your stride and focus on the next session?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: You can’t pick one way because there are different ways you get out. There are times when you feel you’ve given your wicket away, and you obviously feel really bad about that. If it is a decent ball first up, then there are different ways to tackle it. Any batter hates getting out, and it does affect me a little. But it’s just about finding out how I played the balls until I got out. Then I obviously analyse my decision-making skills and what better I could’ve done and obviously getting into what’s next. Then focus on my fielding, if we are fielding second. And then whenever I get my opportunity, I obviously have a plan. If I need to make a few changes according to the wicket or a bowler or the conditions, then I am very happy to make an adjustment and go ahead. I feel I am not somebody who doesn’t talk to anybody. Obviously there are times when I get really affected – that’s pretty normal when it means a lot to you. But again, it’s about moving forward and just getting ready for what’s next. Because in four-day cricket, you obviously get two innings and you can change the game in the second innings.

Q. You mentioned that you’re working on your batting. If you could point at particular areas you’re seeking to improve in?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: There will obviously be areas where I can improve in. But in the recent past, I have been working on a few shots which can open up a few areas where I can score in. I can’t tell you the shots, I don’t want to reveal them. I hope they come off really nicely in the season and I can score a lot of runs in those areas.

Q. You have been scoring a century in almost every Vijay Hazare but Bengal haven’t done really well in white-ball cricket.

Abhimanyu Easwaran: In Vijay Hazare, we haven’t done well in the past two years. But we were a decent team. A lot of new guys are coming in and it’s about getting a new team ready. We have done well in the last two Mushtaq Alis; we reached the knockouts and lost in the quarterfinals. And in Vijay Hazare also, we lost a game on the last ball against Maharashtra. So we played some good cricket; it’s just that we haven’t qualified in the last two-three years. But there was a time where we played the quarter-final and final in alternate years [semi-final in 2014/15 & final in 2016/17]. There’s a process going on and this year, I feel we should do well in white-ball cricket as well.

Q. How do you look at your own white-ball aspirations? Are you focusing on red-ball cricket more than the other formats?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: I equally work on all formats because I want to get better as a cricketer and I want to win games for my team. But you get classified as a red-ball player, people do think that way, but that’s not in my hands. But I want to be an all-format player and I have done well for Bengal. I played India A white-ball also last year against New Zealand A. I played one game in that series, got out for 40 odd [39 off 35], but it was a good opportunity for me. So yeah, I have been working on my overall game and not just red ball.

Q. One common narrative that has emerged out of recent India selections is the excess weightage on IPL performances. You have told me in the past as well that you want to play in the IPL. So how do you plan to improve your T20 game?

Abhimanyu Easwaran: Like I said, I have been working on a few shots and I have obviously made a few changes in my game. I have been getting runs for Bengal in Mushtaq Ali; it’s just about trying to win games and tournaments for my team. And that gives me the best chance to be picked. Selection is something which again is not in my hands, so I can’t really change that. But if I can get runs, that gives me the best chance to be picked by an IPL franchise.

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