Exclusive | 'I'll Not Give up, I'll Never Give Up': Abhimanyu Easwaran Opens up On his Dream to Represent India
Easwaran captains Bengal and India A [Twitter]
A player cut from a different cloth, Abhimanyu Easwaran has made quite a name for himself in the domestic circuit. A supremely talented player, the right-handed batter has piled on runs in the domestic circuit, and has been a prolific figure for Bengal.
Originally hailing from Dehradun, Easwaran was one of the stand-by openers for India during the England tour in 2021, and was also added as Rohit Sharma's replacement in the Bangladesh series last year in December, when the Indian skipper got injured.
Despite scoring heavily in the domestic circuit for the last couple of seasons, the talented batter is yet to play for India national team. However, despite all the hiccups, Easwaran is confident about his dream to represent the nation at the highest level.
In an exclusive interview with OneCricket, the talented batter talks about his love for cricket, the fitness regime he follows, and what motivates him even in the toughest of times.
Everyone knows the dynamic Abhimanyu who plays for Bengal obviously and India A. But little do people know about your cricketing journey. So tell us about that. How did that interest get created in the sport?
Easwaran: I think my cricket journey has been a culmination of passion, hard work and unwavering dedication. It began when I was really young, when my dad saw my interest. And from there, it began the deep-rooted interest in sport, which grew stronger as I watched a lot of cricket, especially with my dad. And it was just cricket that he watched on the television throughout the day.
And it began there. And over the years, I've worked on my skills with training. Both under the guidance of a lot of coaches. I went to Kolkata, where I practiced under Nirmal Yashwant Gupta sir at Ganga. That is where I started my journey, basically. And I think the love for the game and the constant pursuit for excellence has shaped my cricketing journey so far.
As we know, your early cricketing journey started with your father. Who, if I'm not wrong, opened the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in 2008?
Easwaran: I was really lucky to have that ground, because I hardly get to go there. But it's great. Whenever I get time, I make sure I go to Dehradun and meet dad, who is really passionate about the game. Not just for me, but for players coming from Dehradun, because there weren't too many places where they had these facilities there.
And obviously, for players coming from all around the world to get those facilities, it's great, I think. I would thank my dad for just making a place like that for cricketers.
And was your father a strict coach? What was it like training under him?
Easwaran: As a father, like, you know, training you day in and day out, he wanted to see you. I wouldn't say strict, but I think he had the same passion as I do. Probably he has been more passionate than me. So, I think he's probably been my biggest supporter and my biggest cricketer as well. So, I think we discuss cricket almost every day. Because he's seen me from the time I could hold a cricket bat till now.
So, I think we share a lot of things about cricket. We discuss on a daily basis as to what I'm working on. So, I think it's a great combination. And I really enjoy having those chats with him.
You also mentioned the name of Nirmal Sengupta, you have also trained with him. So, how was he as a coach when you moved to Kolkata?
Easwaran: I was about 10 and a half when I went to Kolkata. He stays in a place called Donga. So, I think the training under him has been a very valuable experience. He has got a lot of knowledge about the game.He gave me attention to detail and the ability to bring out the best in me and all other students.
I think he has been really instrumental in me becoming the player I am right now. And I think his guidance has extended beyond the field because I used to stay with him also.So, I think he would provide me insights about overall development as a cricketer. So, I think he's helped me a lot in my early days. And I think I was very lucky to have a person like that at that age. Because I needed somebody like that at that time.
How do you prepare for a series? Because people often see what's happening on the field, But they hardly know what's happening behind the scenes.
Easwaran: I think fitness is really important for me. Because I feel it goes hand in hand with your mental resolution and focus. Regular exercising or, what do you say, regular training helps reduce that stress or enhance your concentration. Because I feel a fit body promotes a fit mind.
Allowing you to stay mentally strong and make better decisions, especially under pressure, which is really important as a cricketer.
And I think I prioritize fitness in all those running sessions, gym sessions or recovery sessions.Not just the fitness in the gym or the ground. Recovery also is a big part of fitness.
I feel really confident when I'm better prepared. So I think it gives me the best chance to perform on the field. So I make sure that I work really hard on my preparations. It includes a lot of planning. Working on what sort of game plans I can have in those conditions. Opposition strengths and weaknesses.
Continuing from where you left, any particular fitness idol that you have? Could be in cricket. Could be in any other different sport.
Easwaran: He (Virat Kohli) is the biggest example. Because we've seen his journey when he came to the Indian team. And the change he's brought in his fitness. And how he's improved his game. I think he was a really good batter when he came into the Indian side. But over the years, with his fitness, he's grown into the world's best batter.
So Abhimanyu, did you have a conversation with Kohli regarding fitness? Like any time when you've met him. Any conversation regarding fitness?
Easwaran: Yeah, I've obviously had conversations with him about cricket on the last tour. On the Bangladesh tour. And it was great. I think he gave me a lot of insights about his game or preparation. I had a few questions I wanted to know. And obviously, fitness. I've seen him train in the gym. And I could just see what it meant to him. He gave equal importance to the batting session and to the gym session. So I could see how important it was to him.
Coming to a different topic now. Bengal obviously had a stellar domestic season. They reached the finals of the Ranji Trophy. And narrowly lost against Saurashtra. And I just wanted to ask you Abhimanyu how do you look at the Ranji season that just went by for you guys?
Easwaran: I think the Ranji season was a rollercoaster of emotions for us. That would be something I could think of first. It obviously presented us with a lot of opportunities to test our skills against top-level teams. There was a lot of competition there. We could learn from our performances. And obviously we did identify a lot of areas for improvement.
Reaching the finals was a really good thing for the team. A good achievement. But I think it is very close to winning it. And I am sure we will do it pretty soon. The season really strengthened our team's unity and camaraderie. Through experiences, victories, setbacks.
You must have felt gutted during the 2021 England tour. If I remember fondly, you were the reserve opener, but came in close contact with one of the support staff.
Easwaran: I think being a part of the Indian dressing room was a really incredible experience for me. And on that England tour, it was a great privilege to enter the dressing room. A lot of my teammates, especially the senior players who have achieved so much at that level. Although I didn't make it to the final 11. But I think the learnings and insights gained from observing and conversing with my teammates will always remain invaluable in my career. I can't really do much about what happened with that COVID incident. But I think that is something not in my control. Not to be thinking too much about that. But I think it was a great learning experience. And it helped me grow as a cricketer even more.
You have piled on runs in the domestic season, and yet, the dream to represent India looks far away. What was the feeling when the India Test squad for WI was announced? You felt disappointed?
Easwaran: Being part of the Indian cricket team has always been a dream. I continue to work towards that goal. I understand the selection decisions are based on a lot of factors and team management's vision, which is, again, something which is not in my control.
I won't really break my determination to keep improving, perform consistently. And just grab that opportunity whenever that arises. I just want to work hard and be ready for the day I get that opportunity and make the most of it. The passion is still there. I think the team also now wants to make a big difference. I will not give up so easily. I will never give up, for sure.
Just want to understand the mental psyche of a cricketer. Like, when players have been performing well, but they have not been selected, what's the mental side of it? Like, there has to be a point when you feel like, okay, maybe, is the game too big for me?
Easwaran: I think you will have a lot of thoughts when you play for such a long time. I've been playing for such a long time, for 10 years now. I mean, there will be thoughts, there will be doubts that will arise in your cricketing career as a player. But I think that's part and parcel of the game.
It is how you deal with it. And I think it's just about working hard every single day and making sure that you work towards the dream you had when you started the game. I think I always have this dream of playing for the country. So I think I still have that dream. And I will always have that dream till the time I'm playing cricket.
Abhimanyu, just one last question. You also had a trial with Delhi Capitals. So did you get a chance to speak to Sourav Ganguly or Ricky Ponting about your game?
Easwaran: They are the legends of the game for sure. They've done so well for the country. They've led so well. And it was really great to just practice alongside them. And I mean, it was a great exposure. I was with the DC squad for two days. Great exposure. Got a lot of learning from there. I didn't really get an opportunity to talk to Ricky sir. But obviously, Sourav sir, I interacted with him a little bit.
Because I've met him a lot of times in Bengal. He was the president of our association. And he used to come watch our games as well.
 "Anurag Dasgupta")
