Abhimanyu Easwaran is playing his 118th first-class game. Of those, 32 have come for India A since July 2018, and there have been call-ups to the Test squad as well, but the international debut is yet to come. Abhimanyu, 31, says his dream to play for India "is still there," as he continues to score runs on the domestic circuit.

Abhimanyu was part of the India Test squad on the tour of England in 2025, but since then he has been left out as the selectors preferred younger batters as back-up opening options.

"When I started playing cricket, the dream was always to play for the country, and that dream is still there," he said after scoring 56 for Bengal against Services in the second round of the Ranji Trophy. "When you're in the squad and then you get dropped, there are always things that go on in your mind, 'why not me again?' So there have been instances [like that], but that's okay, you get used to it. It happens, it's part of life. Nothing much to say about it. With time, you learn."

Abhimanyu began the new domestic season with a couple of half-centuries for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy and then scored 34 and 34* against Delhi in the opening round of the Ranji Trophy. For India A alone, he has scored 1909 runs at an average of 38.18 with six centuries and seven half-centuries in 51 innings.

In terms of runs and centuries for India A, Abhimanyu tops both charts. However, among the top 10 run-scorers, he and Priyank Panchal are the only players who have not made their Test debuts. Until last year, Abhimanyu was a regular part of the India A set-up, but after bagging a pair against South Africa A in November 2025, he has been out of that squad as well. He was also left out of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy defending champions Jammu & Kashmir.

"Your job is always to turn up and do well for whatever team you're playing," Abhimanyu said. "The biggest challenge for a player is to just turn up every day and do what the team needs you to do. So I think I'm enjoying it at the moment and I'm enjoying my cricket."

"The goal is always to play for India but before that, I wanted to play for Bengal, because that is the root, that is the path. I love playing for Bengal. It's a privilege that I'm playing for Bengal, leading Bengal. So I think to turn up every day, represent this team, play for this logo, it's a great feeling, it's very exciting. And obviously, the goal is always to win a tournament. We've come very close to winning the Ranji Trophy, so the aim would be to win the Ranji Trophy this season."

Bengal started with a nine-wicket win over Delhi in Kalyani before heading to Delhi where Abhimanyu top-scored with 56 on a tough, spin-friendly pitch at Palam. Bengal reached the Ranji Trophy semi-finals last season where they lost to eventual champions J&K.