"Sirf bench pe baithane ke liye select karte ho kya?" - Fans get angry as selectors ignore Abhimanyu Easwaran for IND vs WI 2025 Tests

Abhimanyu Easwaran failed to secure a place as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's squad for the two home Tests against West Indies next month. The move came as a surprise as Easwaran warmed the bench during the five-match Test series in England earlier this year. He was also part of the squad in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Interestingly, the 30-year-old earned his maiden call during a Test series against Bangladesh in December 2022. Since then, he has been in and out of the squad but hasn't made his debut.

In his first-class career, Easwaran has amassed 7885 runs in 178 innings (104 matches) at an average of 48.67 with the help of 27 tons and 31 half-centuries.

Youngsters like Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Sai Sudharsan, and Safaraz Khan made their debut ahead of the Bengal batter last year.

Fans on X slammed the BCCI for dropping Easwaran without giving him a Test debut. One user wrote:

"This is setting a wrong example for youngsters who wants to perform well in domestic, Easwaran dropped without getting any game!"

Another user commented:

"Abhimanyu Easwaran has been dropped without trying him in Australia??? How one can treat these youngsters like this ???"

A third user added:

"Abhimanyu easwaran kha hai ? Sirf bench pe baithane ke liye select karte ho kya ? (Where is Abhimanyu Easwaran? Do you select players only to warm the bench?"

Here are a few more reactions:

Dr.Deepak Jain

@Deepakjain1827

Suddenly no Abhimanyu Easwaran without even playing a single game for the Indian team and N Jagadeesan in the squad wow great selection @BCCI @imAagarkar and @GautamGambhir 🤡💔🇮🇳🤬 #INDvsWI #TestCricket #BCCI #shameonbcci #ShubmanGill

Shayne Dias

@ShayneDias_

Big talking points: - No Sarfaraz or Karun. Test career of the latter seems over. - Easwaran was kept as a reserve for ages and now dumped. Without even a single call-up! - Why Bumrah for this series?

Sporttify

@sporttify

@cricbuzz Abhimanyu Easwaran has ALWAYS been the scapegoat for them...

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"Sitting on the sidelines for an eternity" - Former India cricketer on Abhimanyu Easwaran

Former India cricketer Varun Aaron recently pointed out that Abhimanyu Easwaran has been warming the bench over the years and urged the BCCI to hand him a debut in the Test series against the West Indies. The 35-year-old told ESPNcricinfo (via The Indian Express):

"Easwaran has been sitting on the sidelines for an eternity. He has just been drooling at the opportunity of getting a game and that has never happened. I feel finally this is going to be the series where he gets a game. I don’t know in what capacity or which number, but I think India have to play him and give him a chance at some stage."

Easwaran's last appearance came for India A in the first unofficial Test against Australia A, where he scored 44 runs in Lucknow. The right-handed batter also slammed 68 and 80 against England Lions earlier this year. He will next be seen in action for the Rest of India squad against the Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in the Irani Cup. The match is scheduled to be played in Nagpur, beginning on October 1.