• Source:JND
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Abhimanyu Easwaran might be the unluckiest person in Indian cricket at the moment, despite being part of the memorable England tour. India's five-match Test series ended in a 2-2 draw after a thrilling finish to the fifth and final Test at the Kennington Oval.

Easwaran has been part of India's Test setup for a while now but is yet to make his debut for the team. He featured in India’s squad for the five-match series against Australia in the 2024–25 edition of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy. He also travelled with the Indian team for the five-match series against England but didn't get a chance to play a single match.

While Easwaran continues to warm the bench, a few youngsters have represented the team in the longest format, whereas the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair got their chances in England. The 29-year-old Easwaran has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit lately, having amassed 7,841 runs in 103 first-class matches.

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The snub for the fifth Test "pissed off" Easwaran, his father, Ranganathan Parameshwaran Easwaran, revealed in a conversation with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel.

Revealing details of his chat with Easwaran, Ranganathan said that after being ignored for the fifth Test, his son was disappointed for a while but quickly shifted his focus to the upcoming Duleep Trophy tournament.

"My son will fly to Bengaluru to prepare for the Duleep Trophy. He'll spend 10–12 days there, return to Dehradun for a few days, and then head back. He was disturbed after not being picked for the fifth Test—he was expecting that call. I told him, 'Son, you have lived your dream.' He replied, 'I understand. I've lived my dream for 23 years, and not getting picked for one or two matches won't shatter that.'"

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"He was pissed off because he wasn't picked. When I called him, he said, ‘Dad, I still haven't found a place.'"

Ranganathan went on to mention that his son was extremely disappointed at not making it to the playing XI for even the final match in England, but head coach Gautam Gambhir has assured him that he will get an opportunity in the future.

"Gautam Gambhir, when he spoke to my son, assured him, 'See, you’re doing the right kind of things; you'll get your turn; you'll get a long run. I’m not the one who will push you out after one or two matches. I’ll give you a long rope.' That’s what my son communicated to me. The entire coaching team assured him that he’ll get his due; he'll get his long run. That’s the best I can say. My son has been waiting for four years. He's put in 23 years of hard work," Ranganathan added.

India kicked off their campaign in the next World Test Championship cycle (WTC 2025–27) on a promising note. A relatively young side under the captaincy of Shubman Gill produced a fighting effort in England despite being in a challenging transition phase following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

India’s next assignment will be in October later this year when they host the West Indies for a two-match series. While the Gill-led side look to answer a few more questions regarding positions and combinations, Easwaran could finally get his much-awaited Test debut for India.