NEW DELHI: Abhimanyu Easwaran had replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad in India’s squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa last year but the talented right-hander did not make his Test debut. For India, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the two definite openers in Test cricket but with a long tour of Australia later this year, the management will certainly include a third opener in what is likely to be a jumbo contingent for the five-Test series .
Abhimanyu has now improved his chances by hitting a fine hundred for Rest of India against Mumbai in their Irani Cup clash at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday.
Abhimanyu reached his hundred off 117 balls with a boundary off Mohit Avasthi. The compact right-hander remained unbeaten at Tea on 108 – a knock studded with 9 fours and a six with Rest of India at 196/3 on Day 3. This is the Bengal batter’s third hundred in as many games as he scored two hundreds in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy too.
The 29-year-old has consistently been among the top run-getters for Bengal in the domestic circuit. His breakthrough season came in 2018-19 when he scored over 800 runs in the Ranji Trophy.
In the 2018-19 season, Easwaran amassed 861 runs at an average of 95.66, including a career-best score of 233 against Punjab and also played a crucial role in helping Bengal reach the Ranji Trophy final in the 2019-20 season.
While his forte is red-ball cricket, he has been a steady performer in List A cricket as well. He has represented India A in multiple tours, further showcasing his potential to break into the Indian national team.
He was named in the standby list for India’s Test squad during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 against Australia and was part of the squad for the England Test series in 2021 and 2022 but is yet to make an appearance for the senior side.
There are options in Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mayank Agarwal and Sai Sudharsan for the reserve opener slot but Abhimanyu is ensuring he has the adequate weight of runs behind him to present a strong case.