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Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif recently picked his playing XI for the opening Test in Leeds and included Abhimanyu Easwaran, citing his consistent and robust domestic performances. However, Easwaran didn’t just miss out on the XI — he failed to make the squad of 15 altogether.
It’s a baffling call, especially when the selectors and team management have cited domestic form to back Karun Nair’s return to the Test side. On one hand, Nair is being rewarded for his recent run, while on the other, Easwaran — whose first-class numbers are arguably the best among Indian batters over the past five years — continues to be overlooked.
Despite averaging over 50 in red-ball cricket across seasons and carrying the load for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, Easwaran remains stuck on the fringes. It’s hard to find a cricketing explanation anymore — his exclusion feels less like selection and more like omission without logic.
Some within cricket circles are questioning the logic behind keeping him on the fringes. If the selectors deem him good enough to be in the squad, why not give him a chance to prove his worth in the middle? Otherwise, what exactly is the point of selecting him for the series without any clear intention of playing him?
Whether he succeeds or not at the international level is a different matter. But that verdict can only come after he is given an opportunity — not by permanently parking him on the bench. Selection without intent is not just unfair, it’s illogical.
Easwaran came close to making his debut in Australia during Rohit Sharma’s absence, but the team management opted for Devdutt Padikkal instead. Even during the 2021 series, he wasn’t really in contention and remained out of the playing XI.
Easwaran has done almost everything by the book — weight of runs, patience, discipline, fitness — and still remains on the fringes. So the question is, what else can he do beyond just scoring runs? What else?
The nuances of cricket are sometimes beyond comprehension!