IND A vs ENG A: Abhimanyu Easwaran disappoints; Karun Nair hits fifty

Abhimanyu Easwaran underperformed as an opener. Batting first, he managed just 8 runs before falling to left-arm pacer Josh Hull.

Abhimanyu Easwaran missed a critical opportunity to stake his claim as India’s next Test opener, following Rohit Sharma’s recent retirement. The 29-year-old, known for his consistent performances in domestic cricket and India A tours, was included both in the India A squad as captain and in the senior Test squad for the England series.

 

With Rohit stepping away from the format and Virat Kohli also unavailable, the selectors opted for someone with solid international exposure. Easwaran, having toured countries like South Africa, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, seemed a fitting candidate. 

 

Underwhelming Start Against England Lions

 

However, in the first warm-up game against England Lions, Easwaran underperformed. Batting first, he managed just 8 runs before falling to left-arm pacer Josh Hull. Early in his innings, Easwaran displayed composure, leaving deliveries outside off and playing a few overs cautiously. He even punished Hull with a couple of boundaries off the backfoot, indicating a promising start.

 

But Hull quickly adapted his line and length. Bowling fuller and targeting the stumps, he managed to trap Easwaran in front. The India A skipper was late in reacting and was adjudged LBW, ending his innings prematurely. 

 

This failure dents Easwaran’s hopes of solidifying his spot as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner for the Headingley Test. He still has up to three more opportunities in the series against the Lions to turn things around.

 

If he doesn’t make a strong case soon, the team management may look towards KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, or Shubman Gill to fill the vacant opener’s slot.  Karun Nair begins with a fifty  Karun Nair picked up where he left off as his good IPL form seemed to continue in red ball cricket as the batter came in at number 3 and scored a decent fifty off 85 deliveries on the day. He continued to bat and was on 70 runs of 116 balls in the 2nd session.