India’s domestic season will kick off on Sunday (January 10) with the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Bengal are set to begin their campaign against Odisha. Abhimanyu Easwaran emphasized the need to convert starts – something he failed to do during the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy.
Though he led Bengal to the Ranji final in March last year, the 25-year-old managed just 258 runs at an average of 17.20 in 17 innings. His numbers in the previous edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy aren’t great either. In six outings, Abhimanyu Easwaran scored 134 runs at 26.80, coupled with Bengal’s failure to progress beyond the group stage.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), on December 31 last year, announced Anustup Majumdar as the new skipper. However, Abhimanyu Easwaran maintained that he would continue being a team man and help out Majumdar in any way possible.
“We are looking really great for the tournament” – Abhimanyu Easwaran
The 20-member Bengal squad has been training under former India player VVS Laxman for the past month. Abhimanyu Easwaran shed light on the preparatory camp, saying the sessions were insightful and helped the players further shape their game for the 20-over format.
The former Bengal captain missed the recently-concluded Bengal T20 challenge himself owing to testing positive for COVID-19 in the build-up to the maiden event. However, Abhimanyu Easwaran admitted he has recovered completely and is looking forward to taking the field again.
Bengal are placed in Group B alongside Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Odisha, Hyderabad, and Assam. All matches will be played in West Bengal, with the home side scheduled to be in action on Jan 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18. The knockout matches will be held in Ahmedabad.
[With inputs from CAB media desk]
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