Abhimanyu Easwaran opens up on being ignored for West Indies Tests after being sidelined in England: 'It does hurt'

Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran had spinner Kuldeep Yadav constantly by his side during the recent tour of England as the two remained confined to the sidelines throughout the five-match Test series. Kuldeep has been bamboozling opposition batters since that tour, topping the bowling charts in last month’s Asia Cup and also leading the way in the ongoing two-match Test series against West Indies. Easwaran, on the other hand, has gone back to the domestic grind after being left out by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.

Reacting to his latest snub, Bengal batter Easwaran – who had earned his maiden India call-up in December 2022 but is yet to make his debut – admitted that it did hurt to be continuously overlooked by the team.

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“Yes, it does hurt sometimes. You put in all the effort, train hard, and the dream is to be in the middle – to perform, to contribute to wins. But I’m fortunate to have a solid support system: my family, friends, and coach. They help me stay grounded and motivated. Right now, I’m in a good headspace and looking forward to the Ranji season,” Easwaran told RevSportz ahead of thw 2025-26 season of the Ranji Trophy, which gets underway on Wednesday.

“I try to stay focused on things I can control. Work harder, train better. Yes, it feels bad sometimes, but that’s natural. The only solution is to keep improving. I’m working on a couple of new shots this season – I won’t reveal which ones (laughs), but hopefully, they’ll come off well. Playing for India is the biggest motivation. Even when I play for Bengal, I feel immense pride. So, that itself lifts me up,” he added.

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Easwaran draws inspiration from other late-bloomers

Easwaran has 7,954 First-Class runs to his name in 105 appearances at an average of 48.50 since making his debut in December 2013, collecting 27 centuries and 32 fifties along the way. His solid domestic numbers, however, haven’t been enough for him to play Test cricket for India thanks to Shubman Gill’s phenomenal rise in the last five years and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s debut in 2023 as well as the presence of a senior in the top order – either former captain Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul.

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India had even brought Karun Nair into the Test setup after eight long years during the England tour, slotting him into the middle order initially before playing him at No 3. With Nair failing to make much of an impact, India have gone with Tamil Nadu batter B Sai Sudharsan at the one-down slot, which had belonged to Cheteshwar Pujara until the 2023 World Test Championship final.

Easwaran, however, isn’t giving up anytime soon, and continues to draw inspiration from late-bloomers Suryakumar Yadav and Michael Hussey. Surya had made his international debut at the age of 30 and currently leads the Men in Blue in T20Is, succeeding Rohit in the role. Hussey had made his Test debut at the same age and would go on to represent Australia in the format 79 times, in addition to 185 ODIs and 38 T20Is.

“I’m a big fan of Michael Hussey. Even before his Australia debut, he was consistently scoring in domestic cricket. His journey shows what perseverance can achieve. Even Suryakumar Yadav made his India debut after 30, and is now leading the team – it’s incredible. Players like them are great examples. So yes, it’s always at the back of my mind – “Why not me?” a hopeful Easwaran added.