Disappointed but my aim will always be to play for the country: Easwaran

Despite piling on the runs at the domestic circuit, Abhimanyu Easwaran has not been able to find a place in the Indian side yet. He was part of the squad that toured England and Bangladesh last year, but was on the bench. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal picked in the Indian Test side for the tour of West Indies following a stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which has not gone down well with many in the cricketing fraternity.

Along with Easwaran, another prominent figure to be overlooked is Sarfaraz Khan, who according to reports has not been picked due to his fitness issues and poor attitude on and off the field.

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While Sarfaraz has accumulated 2,566 runs at 106 in the last three Ranji Trophy seasons, Easwaran, who leads India A and has played close to 90 first-class matches has scored 2,890 runs at 62.79 since the 2017-18 edition. Yet, the likes of Jaiswal and Gaikwad have been picked ahead of them despite averaging under 50.

While he is disappointed with the snub, the Bengal batter has vowed to work harder and break into the Indian team.

“It’s natural to be a little disappointed. But when you have such a big dream, that passion overpowers everything. I obviously tell myself and I have this inside me that I will never give up. Till the time I play cricket, my aim will always be to play for the country. So I want to focus on that," Easwaran said in a chat with Sportskeeda. 

"And I am really positive about that opportunity coming pretty soon and I just want to work hard on my game and focus on whatever tournaments I play. I want to be ready for the day I get picked and I just want to give it my best every single day I play cricket."

Easwaran is currently leading East Zone in the Duleep Trophy against Central Zone, where his returns have not been good, having scored 11 and 0 in the match.