India’s recent 1-3 defeat to Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw some notable players, including Abhimanyu Easwaran, sidelined. Despite being part of the Indian squad, Easwaran did not feature in any of the five Test matches. Aakash Chopra, the former cricketer-turned-commentator, shared his thoughts on Easwaran’s exclusion. Chopra expressed disappointment over Easwaran’s lack of opportunity, pointing out that he was discarded without a fair chance.
“There were two domestic players in the squad during the BGT who were not given an opportunity to play.” One was Abhimanyu Easwaran and the second was Sarfaraz Khan. They saw Abhimanyu Easwaran in the India A matches. They didn’t like him and he was discarded.”
According to Chopra, Easwaran, at 29 years old, may not be considered by the Indian team again, despite his impressive first-class record of 7,674 runs at an average of 48.87 from 101 games.
Chopra also suggested that if the team plans for an opening change, Easwaran should be reconsidered. “Who will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal? Will you keep continuing with KL Rahul? Certainly, you can keep him for the time being since he has performed well lately, but can you assign the role of the third opener to Abhimanyu Easwaran? He should be thought about,” Chopra said, questioning the neglect of first-class performances in team selections.
In the same breath, Chopra addressed the omission of Sarfaraz Khan, another notable performer. He pointed out Sarfaraz’s remarkable first-class stats, with 4,593 runs at an average of 65.61 in 54 matches. “Sarfaraz was also there with Abhimanyu Easwaran. To be fair, Sarfaraz has a Test century as well, but he wasn’t given even a single chance despite the batting failing in Australia.”
Chopra’s critique emphasizes the importance of considering domestic performance when making selection decisions, especially when the team’s batting struggles are evident.