Abhimanyu Easwaran: 'Very few people are this close to being picked for India. That gives me confidence'

Abhimanyu Easwaran has been on the fringes of the Indian team for three seasons now. His India A numbers are mighty impressive: an average of 47.27 across 34 innings as an opener, with six centuries and a best of 233.

Barring one season, the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy, where he made just 258 runs in 17 innings, Easwaran has also been a prolific run-getter for Bengal. Yet, when the India squad was announced for the West Indies tour, which marks the beginning of the new WTC cycle for the team, Easwaran found Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad had leapfrogged him.

Easwaran has taken the latest setback in his stride as he gets ready for the new domestic season. In Bengaluru, having finished playing for East Zone in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, he spoke at length about channelling his disappointments, how preparation matters, dealing with perceptions of being a one-format batter, and his fitness work, among other things.

It must be disappointing to miss selection for the West Indies series. How do you channel it?
It's all about that dream I had as a kid. Whenever things don't go my way, I just think about why I started playing the game. Because I enjoy it and want to play for the country. Small things like not getting runs in a game won't change the work I've put in for the past 15 years. Or if I don't get picked in a squad, it won't affect my passion or the hard work I'm going to put in going forward. The dream will always be to play for the country and win games. That drives me. No matter what happens, I ensure I wake up every day and do what I should to improve as a cricketer.

How big is preparation for you?
Preparation is the key. I feel if I'm well prepared, I go into a game confidently. I try and ensure that I prepare according to conditions. Before the Duleep Trophy, I arrived in Bangalore early and trained at Just Cricket Academy for ten days on similar wickets to the one I was to play on here. I feel if I've prepared according to the conditions, it gives me the best chance to perform in any tournament.

How have you gone about putting your preparatory process in place?
I've been working with Apurva Desai [currently batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy] for ten years now. His input has been massive in trying to help me adapt to different venues and conditions.

If we're playing at Eden Gardens, what are the kind of plans I should go with? What are the options I can give myself as a batter? We work on game plans, tactics, different shots and technical tweaks. We discuss the kind of preparation needed for every tour. Prior to the India A tour to South Africa in 2021, I trained on Astroturf because the ball zips through there. I trained with synthetic balls, just to get the hands high, because I would be facing extra bounce. We discuss everything in cricket. If I go into the ground, I want to be the best-prepared player. I may not be the best player in terms of runs in the match, but can I be the best-prepared? I always ask myself this.

When you were coming up the ranks, did you always want to be a "pure Test-match type batter"?
No, that's just a perception. I wanted to play all formats.

There's also a perception that you need IPL runs to go with domestic performances.
I've always wanted to be an all-format batter. I played T20s pretty late for Bengal, but I've constantly worked on that side of the game. In the off season I worked on a few shots, which hopefully will come off well this season.

It's not that I just love one format. Yes, Test cricket will always be special but it's also the most challenging. But in terms of my game, I am constantly working on my T20 game. I wish to play IPL soon - it's another dream, to play in the biggest league.

You had a chance to trial with Delhi Capitals mid-season. How was it like?
I wasn't expecting it, honestly. If you don't get picked at the auction, you don't think there's a chance. Their fast bowler, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, got injured. You'd think they'd replace him with another fast bowler. But since their batting wasn't going too well, they probably felt like strengthening that department. It was good to be part of the set-up, even if it was just for a few days. Just to see how people go about things - like, how David Warner prepares. They weren't winning a lot of games at that point, but you could see guys wanted to put their hands up and win games.

Did you get a chance to interact with Ricky Ponting, the Capitals head coach?
I didn't get a lot of time to talk to him because he was busy with the entire group. But he was behind the nets, watching us bat, and would appreciate a good shot. He watched me and Priyam Garg [who was also called up] closely. I didn't get really get a chance to speak about my batting or my game, but in the huddle, he welcomed us. It was nice.

Does it bother you that you don't get picked in the IPL?
I won't say it bothers me. I still have a fair chance to be picked. It's not like this is the last year I'm going to play. I'm just 27, I have enough time. If I get runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Deodhar or Vijay Hazare Trophy, that gives me a good chance. Again, it comes back to preparation and going into the game giving myself the best chance. That's what I am focusing on.

You've spent nearly a decade as a first-class cricketer. Is there a phase you look back fondly?
Yes, there have been a few but the one that stands out is from the 2019-20 season. I was made Bengal captain that year for the first time. I'd scored 861 runs in six matches [11 innings] the previous year. I then got a double-hundred for India A, I got a hundred in the Duleep Trophy final. So I was on a high, but I couldn't buy a run the next season. I made 258 runs in ten games, but we were in the final. On the one hand, here's my team doing well and making the final, on the other, I wasn't able to contribute. Not being able to win the title was more disappointing, but to come back from that and get runs, bat the way I do, was special. That phase was challenging.

When you've been so near yet so far for three years, it must hurt from within. Does it?
It sure does. But given the population we have, there are very few people who are this close to being picked for the Indian team. So I'm taking it in a positive way, that I've got to a place not many can. That gives me confidence. If I can keep putting in the work I've done, I'm still pretty close, I could get picked soon.

There have been a few times when you came close to getting the India cap. When do you think you came closest?
I got twin hundreds for India A in Bangladesh last December, just prior to the Tests. I did well on the India A tour of South Africa in 2021.

But I think I was closest probably in 2021 in England. I was the reserve opener, and we had a tour game prior to the first Test. Not playing in that tour game because I was a close contact of one of the support staff who had Covid meant I had to quarantine for ten days. I lost that chance in that practice game before the first Test. Mayank Agarwal was concussed before that first Test. Maybe had I played and got runs, I would have earned the cap. All that time spent instead quarantining and isolating even though I didn't have Covid was really tough.

You spoke of on-field preparation. What about off-field preparation?
It's as important as what you do on the field. You can't eat what you like and say, "I'll make up for it." There's a balance to maintain. Around 2015-16, I discovered I wasn't feeling too well after breaks. There was a pattern where I used to get out soon after lunch or tea breaks. I found I wasn't so switched on, even though I'd be batting on 50 or 70. I had a chat with a friend who told me about a genetic medical test. That told me I was gluten-intolerant. From that day to now, I have only had gluten probably twice or thrice a year. That's after a tournament finishes and I have a break for more than a week, because I can afford that - I won't be training the next day. That involves atta, maida, soya. I gave up soft drinks ten years ago. I felt the dream is bigger than this. If I don't have Coke, it doesn't matter.

How has fitness transformed your outlook to cricket?
During Covid, I felt there was something I needed to work on, because the seasons were getting longer. I was playing all formats and also for India A, so I didn't have breaks. Usually during the off season, you get a couple of months off, but I wasn't getting that because of India A commitments. I realised the need to get stronger.

I had a lot of things in mind: Do I have the fitness to last an entire Ranji season, if we reach the final? Do I have the fitness to push beyond a double-century? Can I be fresh on day five of a match? That was the time I started working on fitness with Soham Desai [current India trainer]. Since then, I've been able to feel that change. Last year also, after fielding for around 155 overs against New Zealand A, I was batting probably the best I had in the last three years. My feet were moving well, so well that I was enjoying it a lot, and I wasn't feeling too tired. I could feel the difference and that made me enjoy what I was doing.

You may have not played a Test, but you probably have some fond memories of travelling with the team?
Without a doubt. It's an honour to wear that jersey. I still remember when I received the team kit before that England tour in 2021, I just didn't want to take it off all day. I cherish the chats I've had with Virat Kohli on preparation and Cheteshwar Pujara on single-mindedness. Being a part of the Test squad that won at Lord's was a special memory. There was so much passion, so much fire. Shami, Siraj, Bumrah with their tails up… bundling them out inside 60 overs, it was amazing. I think those are situations you train and play for. It was great to be part of a side that won in England. You want to win overseas, at home, everywhere. It's something every cricketer dreams of. Hopefully I'll have that chance soon.