A talented cricketer, who has performed for India A and also been with the senior national squad as a standby even in an away series, is yet to make his debut in the IPL.
That’s what 26-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran has had to face, in spite of being a consistent performer for Bengal as well as India A.
Since the 2013-14 season, when he made his first-class debut, Abhimanyu’s name has been there in the auction, but the IPL franchises didn’t show any interest to rope him in. Will the script change this time around for Abhimanyu, especially after the time he spent last year as a standby for Team India, which certainly has given his profile some sort of a face-lift?
The Bengal Ranji captain, though, prefers to focus only on the controllable. “Personally, I would love to be a part of an IPL franchise. But I’m not thinking too much about it because that’s not in my hand.
“I would obviously follow the auction as a lot of my friends would be there, while my name too is there on the list. But my focus right now is to prepare as much as I can, keep myself fit and have my game sorted.
“Whatever preparation I need before my next assignment, my focus is mainly on that,” Abhimanyu told The Telegraph prior to Bengal’s departure for their Ranji campaign on Thursday.
Bengal will be playing their Ranji group-phase matches in Cuttack, with their tournament-opener from February 17 versus Baroda.
Going unsold for so many years, a youngster has every reason to feel disheartened and get frustrated. But for Abhimanyu, he’s keen to push himself further and look forward instead of even glancing back at the past.
“It’s up to individuals as to how they want to take it or deal with it. For me, I’ve always believed I’m a good enough T20 player. I’ve worked on my game a lot. Be it any format, my aim is to just keep improving and getting better every single day.
“So it’s just about how you pull yourself up and try and get better at your job. No matter how many opportunities you get, it’s about proving to yourself, not anybody else, that you’ve worked hard and executed those things at the game, which you have practised.
“So I think it’s just about believing in yourself and pushing yourself more. I do push myself further and I believe I’m a good enough T20 player to be a part of any IPL franchise,” he said.
