'My son looks a little depressed, but that is bound to happen.'
Even as debutants Anshul Kamboj and B Sai Sudharsan were handed their Test caps and Karun Nair made his return to the Indian Test side in the Tendulkar Anderson series, one player continues to warm the bench and it's a story that's become all too familiar.
For 29-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran, the wait for a Test debut grows more painful by the day.
One of India's most consistent red-ball performers, the Bengal batter has been a regular face in the Indian squads across tours, yet remains uncapped. First included in the Test squad back in 2022, Easwaran has since watched 15 players make their Test debuts, while he continues to carry drinks.
His first class career numbers read: 167 matches, 7,404 runs with 30 half-tons, 25 centuries and a best of 233 all at an impressive average of 49.03!
The lack of opportunity has now drawn sharp words from his father Ranganathan Easwaran, who aired his frustration over the continued snub in an interview with The Times of India.
'I'm not keeping a count of the number of days that Abhimanyu has been waiting for his Test debut. I am counting the years; it has been three years now,' he said on Thursday.
'What is the job of a player? It is to score runs. He has done that. People said he didn't perform in two India A matches during the last tour of Australia and didn't get into the team, which is fair enough.
'But Karun Nair wasn't in the team during the period when Abhimanyu performed before the BGT. Karun wasn't picked for the Duleep Trophy or the Irani Trophy. Abhimanyu scored close to 864 runs if you consider the period from last year to the current year.'
The senior Easwaran also questioned the selection process and the metrics used to award Test caps.
'Then how do they compare? I don't understand. They gave a chance to Karun Nair. Fair enough, he scored 800-plus runs. The selectors have put faith in him.'
According to him, the snub is now impacting his son's mental well-being.
'My son looks a little depressed, but that is bound to happen. Some players jump the gun based on IPL performances which earn them a spot in the Test team.
'IPL performances should not be counted while selecting the team for the longest format. Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Irani Trophy should be the basis for Test selection.'
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