After spending a couple of years travelling with the Indian Test team as the backup opening option, experienced Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran was dropped from India’s squad for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.
Easwaran is still awaiting his first Test cap, but will have to wait even longer after his name wasn’t included in the 16-member unit called up for the two-match series in October.
Easwaran’s strong domestic performances are what earned him a consistent position in the squad, especially as India undergoes something of a transition in their Test match batting. However, inconsistent performances in A matches and tour games in Australia and England over the last 12 months meant he failed to wow Gautam Gambhir and his staff, never quite breaking through the highly competitive batting corps India has at its disposal.
However, former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth had a theory that it was more to do with things around Easwaran than his own performances that led to him being dropped – in particular, mentioning that the Bengal batter’s father must have rankled some feathers in the selection committee after fierce words were shared upon his son’s non-involvement in England.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said, “I feel bad for Abhimanyu Easwaran. I think his father made some strong statements (after England), and maybe that’s why they’ve dropped him now.”
In a series of interviews after India’s drawn 2-2 series in England, Easwaran’s father, Ranganathan, took the team selection and coach Gambhir to task over their treatment of his son. At different times, he mentioned how Gambhir had promised to provide Easwaran a long rope, but instead opted for players he believed had performed worse domestically and in fact been fast-tracked due to performances in the IPL. Ranganathan hadn’t held back from criticising the management, and Srikkanth seems to believe it was his son paying the price for it.
Agarkar’s reasoning was ‘fair’, says Srikkanth
However, Srikkanth did say that Agarkar’s reasoning regarding Easwaran’s non-inclusion in the squad was very valid. There was not much need for a backup opener on a team that already had four or five options for that position.
“But Ajit Agarkar’s reasoning on not needing a reserve opener at home was fair,” concluded Srikkanth.
India’s series against the West Indies begins in Ahmedabad on October 2, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal expected to be the incumbent openers.