Abhimanyu Easwaran says India dream remains alive

Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran said his ambition to play for India remains unchanged ahead of the Ranji Trophy opener against Delhi on Sunday. The 31-year-old opener has scored heavily enough to earn India call-ups for the 2024 home series against England and the subsequent tour of Australia, but a Test debut has remained elusive.

Easwaran said he concentrates on the work in front of him rather than selection matters. He added that there is no point in thinking about selection because that will take care of itself if he keeps performing. The opener also said he wants to improve his scoring options and develop a better range of shots to adapt to different surfaces and bowling attacks.

Bengal will rely on their international pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar when they face Delhi at Eden Gardens. Easwaran has scored 31 runs in his last three first-class innings and will look to lead from the front in the season opener.