Abhimanyu Easwaran targets India return through Bengal captaincy

Abhimanyu Easwaran said he continues to pursue an India Test debut as Bengal open their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 campaign against Delhi on Sunday. The 31-year-old Bengal captain has accumulated first-class runs for more than a decade and earned call-ups for the 2024 home series against England and the subsequent Australia tour without securing a cap.

Easwaran told Hindustan Times that he focuses on the task in front of him rather than selection speculation. He said he aims to improve his scoring options across different surfaces and bowlers while leading Bengal, who reached the final in 2019-20 and 2022-23 but lost both times to Saurashtra.

The 92nd Ranji Trophy season begins on 11 October with 19 matches across Elite and Plate groups. Star Sports Khel will televise the Jammu and Kashmir versus Madhya Pradesh opener, while selected matches will stream on JioHotstar.