Former India A captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was ignored for a place in the Indian team for the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand last week, scored his fourth century in a row on Monday (October 14). The right-handed batter opened for Bengal in the second innings of the ongoing Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Uttar Pradesh at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and is currently batting on 114 runs from 151 balls.
The 29-year-old Easwaran, who has never played for India so far, had earlier scored five runs from 17 balls in the first inning.
Before his super show with the bat in the first match of Ranji Trophy 2024-25, Easwaran scored two back-to-back centuries for India B in Duleep Trophy last month and then hammered 191 runs against Mumbai in the Irani Cup 2024 match played at the same venue.
He remained unbeaten on 157 runs against India C and smashed 116 runs against India D in Anantapur.
But despite his consistent performances, he was not considered for a place in the 15-member Indian team for the first Test against New Zealand, which is set to start on Wednesday (October 16) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Even if Easwaran had earned a place in the Test team, there are negligible chances of him getting a chance to play for India at present times. Captain Rohit Sharma opens for India in the five-day format of the game along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has impressed everyone with his performances since making his debut against the West Indies in July 2023.
Due to his red-hot form with the bat, Easwaran has certainly made a case for selection in the India A team for the two-match series against Australia A, which is set to start on October 31 at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.
If he manages to maintain his super show with the bat in those two matches as well, then there is a high possibility that he could be considered for a place in the Indian Test team as a backup opener.
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