Is IPL Absence Costing Abhimanyu Easwaran His India Cap?

Currently in the Test format, the Indian team has been suffering with the number 3 spot issues in its batting line-up. From 2013 to 2021, this spot was held by Cheteshwar Pujara, and since a dip in his form came, the issues for the team at this spot rose even more.

Ever since Cheteshwar Pujara got a bit inconsistent in his form and eventually dropped from the Indian team, the number 3 issue still persists. There has been no player who has taken up the spot, with the team going through multiple changes for the same spot across matches. Although India’s batting line-up has been strong, this issue can’t be overlooked.

Since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India has changed its number 3 spot in almost every match, with players such as Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, and even KL Rahul getting a chance at this spot. However, there has been one common aspect to be noticed, which is the exclusion of Abhimanyu Easwaran in all the games.

Series	Match	Player
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25	1st Test	Devdutt Padikkal
	2nd Test	Shubman Gill
	3rd Test	Shubman Gill
	4th Test	KL Rahul
	5th Test	Shubman Gill
Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy	1st Test	Sai Sudharasan
	2nd Test	Karun Nair
	3rd Test	Karun Nair
	4th Test	Sai Sudharsan

Abhimanyu Easwaran has been a part of the Indian squad in at least five series, but he never got a chance to play even a single match. BCCI also said that playing in domestic cricket is necessary to get a chance to play for the Indian team, still Easwaran is unable to get the same. Let’s analyse the reasons why Easwaran has not been able to make it to the Indian team till now.

Easwaran’s Domestic Mastery

In the domestic format, Abhimanyu Easwaran has record figures, which puts him close to the Indian legends in the first-class format and even the other domestic tournaments. He started off his First-class career in 2013, in a Ranji Trophy clash against Uttar Pradesh, and managed to score 10 and 27 runs respectively in his debut match.

Matches	Innings	Not Out	Runs	High Score	Average	100s	50s
103	177	16	7841	233	48.70	27	31

Fast forward to 2025, Easwaran has played 103 matches in First-class cricket, and scored 7841 runs at an average of 48.70. What is more interesting about his career in domestic cricket is that he now holds 27 centuries and 31 half-centuries in just 177 innings he played in the First-class format.

These figures show that Abhimanyu Easwaran holds the temperament which a player needs to represent the Indian team in the Test format. However, he still is not able to receive a chance to play, despite having such impressive records in the First-class format. Various cricket analysts and legendary stars have also voiced their opinion on the same.

Among the active players, Abhimanyu Easwaran also holds the highest number of matches played for India A. He has represented the team across 30 matches and scored 1865 runs at an average of 39.68, with 7 centuries and 6 half-centuries. Such impressive stats, even for the India A team, have kept him away from marking his debut in the Test format.

He last played in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, and was available for Bengal for just two games. But his impact still remains the highest for the team, as he managed to score 337 runs in 3 innings at an average of 168.50, with one century and 2 half-centuries. This is just one of the various Ranji Trophy editions where Easwaran dominated with the bat.

Abhimanyu Easwaran was also among the top performers for Bengal during the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, where he managed to score 798 runs in 8 matches at an average of 66.50, with 3 centuries and 3 half-centuries. Even after having some matches where he was unable to perform well, Easwaran made sure that he ended every Ranji Trophy edition on a positive note.

In the Ranji Trophy, his best came in the 2018-19 season, where he finished with 861 runs in just 6 matches at an average of 95.66, with 3 centuries and 3 half-centuries. This shows that Abhimanyu Easwaran’s domestic form has not just been about a few good seasons; it has been about consistently delivering for his team and coming out on top.

Recently, during the India tour of England, Abhimanyu Easwaran was announced in the squad of the Indian team, and fans thought it might finally be the chance for him to make a debut. But it has been four matches to the series, and till now, he has not been given a chance to perform for the team.

Abhimanyu also played in the unofficial Test matches against England Lions, where he led the India A team. In those two games, he managed to score 167 runs, which also included two half-centuries. Thus, it can’t be said that his stats in the domestic format are not good enough to help him in his debut. Abhimanyu Easwaran has managed to score for the team, even in the unofficial Tests.

Battling Sudharsan & Nair

While his domestic stats showcased that Abhimanyu is made for the Test format, the reason he doesn’t get the spotlight could be the Indian Premier League. Throughout his career, Abhimanyu Easwaran has not played even a single IPL match, missing out on the platform which has made careers of a number of players.

Due to this reason, his competition for the number 3 spot has increased, as he now goes against Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. Both of these batsmen have now received two games each in the current tour of England, and are able to utilise their opportunities to mark a permanent spot in the Indian team.

Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran have one thing in common: they all were among the top performers for their respective teams in the previous domestic season. But what helped Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan to get a push to the Indian team was their inclusion in the IPL 2025, where both performed up to the mark.

Player	Matches	Innings	Not Out	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50
Sai Sudharsan	15	15	1	759	108*	54.21	156.17	1	6
Karun Nair	8	8	–	198	89	24.75	172.17	–	1

Sai Sudharsan ended the IPL 2025 campaign on a high note, finishing as the top run scorer with 759 runs, including one century and 9 half-centuries. On the other hand, Karun Nair also performed well against bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah, and he scored 198 runs in 8 matches at an average of 24.75, with one half-century.

These performances in the Indian Premier League, against the world-class bowlers, helped Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan to get noticed by the selectors. Eventually, they got a place in the Indian team, where Karun Nair marked his comeback after years, and Sai Sudharsan got a chance to make his debut in the White jersey.

It can’t be said that Abhimanyu Easwaran doesn’t hold good stats in the T20 format. While he has only played in the domestic tournaments, he has still scored 976 runs in 34 matches at an average of 37.53, with one century and 5 half-centuries. Even in the recent IPL Mega Auction, Abhimanyu Easwaran went unsold.

Easwaran or Panchal — Different Player, Same Story?

Abhimanyu Easwaran has given his time and efforts to the First-class format for more than a decade, and he is still waiting for the day when he receives his debut cap from any of the Indian senior players in the Test format. But the question remains, how long could Easwaran wait before he announces his retirement?

This situation took place with one of the finest batsmen in the domestic format, Priyank Panchal. He was a part of Gujarat’s team in the domestic format and even played for the West Zone. But, his relentless efforts to get noticed by the selectors went down in vain, due to which Priyank Panchal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2025.

Priyank Panchal ended his First-class career with 8856 runs in 127 matches at an average of 45.18, with 29 centuries and 34 half-centuries. Even after such massive stats, and playing in the domestic format since 2008, he was also not able to get a call-up for the Indian cricket team. After waiting for almost 17 years, Panchal announced his retirement, as the Indian team lost out on a potential great batsman.

If we take a look at the situation of Abhimanyu Easwaran, it has also been the same as Priyank Panchal. But the question remains whether Easwaran will be looking forward to getting the eyes of the selectors, not only with his performances in the domestic circuit but in the IPL too, or not.

Abhimanyu Easwaran was a part of the Indian squad in some Tests with Virat Kohli as the captain. Later, he got included in the squad with Rohit Sharma as the captain, and still, he was not able to get a chance to represent the country. Now, with Shubman Gill at the helm, will it be the time for Abhimanyu Easwaran to finally make his debut in the near future, or will he end up like Priyank Panchal?