Resilience, persistence take centre stage as Easwaran dares to dream

Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran is eagerly anticipating his debut for the Indian cricket team, his long-standing dream. With an impressive record of over 6500 runs in 88 first-class matches, Easwaran served as a standby player during the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the Test series against England in 2021. Presently, he is part of the India A squad touring South Africa.

Easwaran recently emphasised his unwavering determination to represent the national side. The 28-year-old went on to say that he will not give up on that desire and will keep pushing for it.

''To play for the country is the ultimate goal of any player who picks up the bat or the ball. People talk about me as an Indian cricketer but I haven't made my debut yet. I hope that happens soon. I have only one dream, that is to play for my country. I will not give up on it that easily. I will keep pushing for it. I will be making sure that I am well prepared for it. I hope that I will play for the country soon,'' Easwaran was quoted as saying by India Today.

Easwaran is hopeful that he might be included in the XI that will take on South Africa A. He also stated that he is aware of the conditions in South Africa as he has been there in 2021.

''I may play the first 'A' game in South Africa. The stitches will be cut on the 6th. Then the support staff and the medical team will take a call. I have been to South Africa in 2021, so I have a fair idea about the conditions there. I have also worked on my batting according to the pace and bounce in those conditions. So yeah, I am very well-prepared,'' Easwaran added.

He further stated that he is also hopeful to be picked by an Indian Premier League (IPL) team for the 2024 edition during the mini-auction that will be held on December 19.

''I hope that I will be picked in the IPL this season. The auction is on the 19th (December). Let's see what happens,'' he concluded.