Abhimanyu Eswaran, just another brick (batter) in the wall ?
The Indian Cricket Team, While many aspire to be a part of the core team, some just want to wear the Indian jersey, even if it's for a single day. And among many such players, one has been India’s Abhimanyu Ranganathan Parmashwaran Easwaran. The 27-year-old right-handed batter from Bengal has been nothing short of inhuman, to say the least. Whether with the Bengal team or the India A team, Easwaran has just been doing what he is supposed to do: scoring tonnes of runs. Like, literally, TONs!
The Pillar of India-A, A.K.A. Abhimanyu Eswaran.
Abhimanyu, who is also the skipper of India-A, has been brilliant in the longest format of the game, scoring truckloads of runs. Easwaran started the first unofficial test against Bangladesh with a scintillating 141, which helped India post a mammoth 465 on the board. The way Easwaran spent time on the wicket is like seeing poetry in motion. No hush hush, no fuss fuss, only sheer concentration. which is what test cricket stands for. Easwaran spent more than 7 hours on the pitch and faced 255 deliveries in the first unofficial test. The Bengal opener then backed up the "daddy hundred" with yet another hundred in the second unofficial test. A marathon innings of unbeaten 144 off 231 deliveries followed, following which India closed day 2 on 324/5 in reply to the home side’s 252 and led them by 72 runs. Easwaran first put on a crucial 119-run stand with Indian veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, which was a classic test match partnership with both batters looking to spend as much time as possible on the crease.This approach frustrated the Bangladesh bowlers, which helped India and both batters yield loose deliveries. Classic test match strategy, isn’t it? Easwaran shifted gears in the 151-run fifth-wicket stand with Andhra keeper batter KS Bharath as soon as Pujara left.Both the young players played with freedom and authority, striking out at over 4 runs per over. Wickets kept on falling on the other end, but Easwaran stood tall, handsome, and unbeaten on 144 and would be eyeing a double century if not more on the third day’s play.
Another unlucky talented batter from India’s batting manufacturing plant?
In India, where we are currently facing the problem of plenty, it is clear that it is not just a single player but dozens of talented men warming the bench or failing to make it to India's National Squad at times, let alone the playing eleven. Eswaran, who has been a stalwart of Bengal cricket, has scored 5419 runs at a staggering average of 44.41. What has been pleasing to see in the right-handed game is the conversion rate going from 50 to 100. As Eswaran has converted 17 out of his 23 fifties into hundreds in first-class cricket, he doesn’t just stop there. In list A, India A skipper averages 46.24 in 76 innings, scoring 3376 runs with seven centuries against his name. Even in the match leading up to the Bangladesh tour, Eswaran was coming off a 298-run opening stand with his fellow Bengal opener Sudip Gharami. Though Sudip out batted Easwaran for a mammoth 162 in this game, the skipper scored a quick fire 122 off 123 deliveries, which was the catalyst in the Bengals' 426-run victory over the services in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy.
While India’s test setup looks quite settled with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma at the top, Eswaran can be a good backup to Rohit Sharma considering his age and fitness. A solid and classical test player who knows the importance of spending time on the wicket is surely a treat for genuine cricket fanatics. The sheer perseverance and command over one’s defence is what makes a test great, and Easwaran, with his consistent performances, surely looks all set to be greatness in the making.