Ravichandran Ashwin has made a scathing attack on the Indian selectors after Abhimanyu Easwaran’s explosive innings in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. Easwaran reminded everyone why he has been one of the most reliable performers in domestic cricket for a long time with his latest performance for Bengal in the ongoing Premier T20 tournament.
The Bengal star played a brilliant inning of 130 not out in just 66 balls against Punjab. Easwaran’s brilliant innings at the Gymkhana Ground included 13 big fours and 8 sixes. Chasing a mammoth score of 311 after Abhishek Sharma’s record-breaking attack, Easwaran struggled single-handedly and scored almost two-thirds of his team’s total.
Ravichandran Ashwin criticizes Indian selectors after Abhimanyu Easwaran’s SMAT 2025 massacre
Earlier, Abhishek had played a stormy inning of 148 runs with the help of 8 fours and 16 sixes in just 52 balls for Punjab in the SMAT match against Bengal. However, Easwaran’s heroic efforts with the bat were not enough for Bengal, as Punjab won the match by 112 runs on 30 November. Apart from him, only Akash Deep (31) reached double figures in that match.
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However, Easwaran’s batting masterclass was enough to attract the attention of former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. In fact, despite the experienced batsman’s consistently good performances in domestic cricket, Easwaran has been consistently ignored for India’s selection in Tests.
Easwaran was also recently overlooked for India’s Test series against South Africa at home, but he quietly let his bat do the talking. He started the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season on a high note, and now his SMAT heroics have brought him back into the limelight.
Now we will definitely see him: Ravichandran Ashwin’s sharp attack on selectors
Well, Ravichandran Ashwin used Abhimanyu Easwaran’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 heroics against Punjab to poke fun at the current Indian Test selection pattern, where white-ball fireworks are prioritized over the traditional red-ball consistency.
The former Indian off-spinner has sarcastically urged the national selectors to consider Easwaran for Tests as he has now scored a century in T20 cricket as well.
Ravichandran Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel, “Abhimanyu Easwaran has now scored a century in T20 as well. Now we will definitely get to see him now. Seeing that he has now scored runs in T20, we will definitely get to see him in the Test team now.”
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Change continues in India, but doors are still closed for Abhimanyu Easwaran
Even though India is going through a major transformation in Test cricket after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the Bengal opener is still to get his long-awaited Test debut. Instead, he has mostly been used as a backup or sent on India ‘A’ tours while other players have been selected ahead of him.
Easwaran’s statistics show why many former Indian cricketers feel he deserves a chance. The Bengal star has played 109 first-class matches, scoring 8136 runs at an average of 47.85 and hitting 27 centuries, which shows how consistent he has been in red-ball cricket.
Earlier, Easwaran admitted that the wait to make his India debut has been tough, but the support from his family, friends and coaches keeps him motivated. He is now focusing on the new Ranji season and his white-ball game. As captain, he helped Bengal start the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 with two wins, before Punjab put in an incredible performance to end their winning streak.