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Cricket PlayersRahul sir reminded me of little things, my way of playing similar to him: Abhimanyu Easwaran cherishes The Dravid Effect
Abhimanyu Easwaran may be a Virat Kohli fan but Rahul Dravid has always been his idol. Hence, the process of learning from the former India captain was an enjoyable experience for the young batsman.
Approximately three months ago, Abhimanyu Easwaran posted an update on his Instagram – a picture with Virat Kohli which was captioned 'Fanboy moment'. It was clicked at The Leela Palace Chennai, where the Indian team was based ahead of its home Test series against England. When the squad was announced, Abhimanyu was named one of the four standby players for the series, which meant that after years of playing top-notch cricket for India A, he was one step closer to realising his dream.
Although his chance never came, by the time the series had ended, Abhimanyu emerged a wealthy man knowledge-wise. He had spent hours in the nets, with the players he's admired… learning the nuances from Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, while facing Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma. With the selectors having once again shown faith in Abhimanyu, 25, will get a chance to extend his learnings as he gets set to join the Indian squad once again, for what promises to be a stiff tour of England.
"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 in an exclusive chat.
"I was with the team from the first two Tests. 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."
Abhimanyu's rise to the Indian squad is the culmination of years of hard work he's put together playing First-Class cricket for Bengal and India A. In eight seasons for Bengal, Abhimanyu has featured in 46 matches for Bengal, averaging 43.82 with nine centuries. Between 2014-15 and 2018-19 seasons, his averages have read 52.87, 50.44, 41.40, 50.85 and 80.78. For a First-Class player, those are gigantic numbers, but somehow, not good enough to challenge the best openers Indian cricket had seen in those years.
Similarly, Abhimanyu has put up a string of equally stellar performances for India A. In 14 matches, he has scored 861 runs with two centuries and 13 fifties. In 2019, he had struck a double century – a knock of 233 – against Sri Lanka. Like any budding cricketer playing for India A, the role of Rahul Dravid, its former coach, has been highly instrumental, and Abhimanyu's case isn't different. He may be a Kohli fan but Dravid has always been his idol. Hence, the process of learning from the former India captain was equally enjoyable.
"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," Abhimanyu adds.
"Initially, in my First-Class career, I got a hundred and then a lot of fifties – about 10 half-centuries or something. It was something I wanted to work on Apurva Desai and I had a word about it with Rahul sir too. In the Ranji Trophy and whatever tours I was on for India A, I was getting the 60, 70s but not the hundreds. It's cliched and easier said than done, but the key is to really stick to your plans, which you have set against a particular bowler or bowling attack… facing one ball at a time. Rahul sir reminded me of it and so many other things and that was really helpful for me. After that, I started converting fifties into hundreds and hundreds into big hundreds."
Among the four standbys, Abhimanyu is the only batsman. With Rohit, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul as the four first-choice openers in the squad, it may still take Abhimanyu time to earn his India cap. His name has been doing the rounds among selectors, experts and journalists alike as the next opening batsman for India – most prominently after the Test series in New Zealand last year, where India were blanked 0-2. But more than a year later, the wait continues.
"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.
As historically proven, India's tours of England have effectively ended Test careers. Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, once India's go-to opening pair in the format, never played Test cricket for India since the tour of 2018. Of the current lot, Agarwal and Gill are yet to play a Test match in England, while Rohit has featured in just one – back in 2014.
Rahul has the most experience having played five Tests, and even though he has a century at The Oval, his average is 29.90 having scored 299 runs during 2018's five-Test series. So although Abhimanyu's idol Dravid, feels it is the touring party's best chance to register a series win in the UK and may have given his verdict in favour of India, the batsman understands that the challenges which lie ahead will be tough to conquer.
"The biggest challenge playing there is that the wickets there are conducive to fast bowling. In Ranji Trophy, there are few wickets that support fast bowling but mostly they will turn. Even during the Test matches in India, the wickets are mostly spin-friendly although there is a period when swing comes into play," Abhimanyu said.
"But if you bat in England, the new ball actually does a lot more than it does in India. When you play a team like England, they are pretty good at it. They know their conditions and have some experienced players as well. Just like it is for them to score in India, similarly it's a challenge for our batsmen to get runs there."
