'It's like a step closer to my dream,' Easwaran on being picked as standby player

Abhimanyu Easwaran, a prolific scorer for Bengal in the domestic circuit, was named one of four standby players for India's tour of England. Not too long ago, Easwaran spent time in the nets with the Indian team, where he loved watching the intensity with which the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and others trained and also faced some deliveries from Indian pacers like Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

The fact that Easwaran has been picked as a standby player does not harm his spirits and in fact, reckons that he is one step close to realising his dream of playing for India. 

"Great feeling to be selected in the Indian team, be it a stand by. It's like a step closer to my dream. Conditions are challenging in England, probably the most challenging for an opening batsman. I feel it's a great opportunity for me to learn from other players and see what's going on. It's just about being prepared and waiting for my turn; if and when I get it, I'll rightfully use it and give my best," Abhimanyu told Hindustan Times.

"I was with the team from the first two Tests (vs England). Watching Virat, Rohit, Pujara and Rahane, who have scored a lot of runs for the country, the biggest takeaway was their intensity during practice and how detailed they are regarding the little things before a Test match, which I had heard about but never seen it."

While Easwaran has been a prolific scorer for Bengal over the years, he has put in the hard yards even at the India A side as well, under his idol Rahul Dravid. 

"To be honest, I was proud to have seen my idol and then play under him for India A. To be able to play in different conditions under him was a great experience. Besides playing in India, I played in New Zealand a couple of times, went to the West Indies and played in England. Because he's scored a lot of runs everywhere, he shared so many experiences with us, regarding not only the conditions but also about what he or other players did to get runs there. He's always been very interactive. My way of playing is similar to him because he's been my idol," The Bengal batsman said.

Easwaran is well down the pecking order when it comes to the opening spot in the Indian Test team, with the likes of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal and also KL Rahul well ahead of him. However, the 25-year-old is not too perturbed by it. 

"It's great to have healthy competition in the team. It's always said that if a team has good bench strength, that means the team is doing really well. We've reached the World Test Championship final, and it shows that we've got a great team, and in all great teams, there is healthy competition. My only goal is to improve as a player and be ready if an opportunity comes my way," he said.

India's first assignment in England will be playing the World Test Championship (WTC) final, beginning on June 18 in Southampton. India will then play a five-Test series against England from August 4, starting with the first match at Trent Bridge.