Ranji Trophy: Abhimanyu Easwaran scores hundred at 'Abhimanyu Cricket Academy' built by his father
Jan 03, 2023
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 4 : Abhimanyu Easwaran scored a brilliant century against Uttarakhand to make his first memorable appearance at the academy built by his father named 'Abhimanyu Cricket Academy' while playing at the ground on Tuesday.
Abhimanyu's father Ranganathan Parameswaran Easwaran's passion for cricket led him to buy a huge piece of land in Dehradun in 2005. He spent a huge amount from his own pocket to build a first-class cricket stadium.
Bengal's Ranji team is squaring off Uttarakhand at 'Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Stadium' in Dehradun for a four-day Ranji match. Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is knocking for a place in the national team, played in the stadium where he remained unbeaten on 141 runs at stumps on Day 1. Bengal scored 269/2 at the end of day 1 against Uttarakhand.
Abhimanyu's father hailed the occasion as a big day but stated that the crucial thing is that the Bengal opener plays a good knock. He also mentioned that the stadium was named before the Bengal player was born.
"It's a big day but the important thing is that he plays well. Not the first time a Ranji match is being played here. The first time the Bengal team is playing Ranji here and that is a big thing. The ground was named earlier and Abhimanyu was born later. One of the good days in life. It is a milestone but it's part of life and you need to go on," RP Easwaran told ANI.
Earlier in December, Easwaran led India A to a series win in the two-match red-ball trip against Bangladesh A.
He scored 141 and 157 in his two innings against a line-up that included several Test players. In addition to winning Player-of-the-Match, his 157 enabled India A to build a lead large enough to win by an innings and 123 runs.
Easwaran previously travelled to England with the Indian Test team last year. He made his first-class debut in December 2013, and during the following three years, he has advanced to be among India's next-in-line red-ball openers. His first-class numbers are impressive overall, with a highest of 233 and a total of 5576 runs in 134 innings at an average of 45.33.
Following a successful Ranji Trophy season in 2018-19, in which he amassed 861 runs at an average of 95.66, he found his way into the India-A squad. Despite a severe decline in performances in 2019-20, when he only managed 258 runs at 17.20, his potential allowed him to remain on selectors' radars.