Bengal coach Saurasish Lahiri 'elated' and 'concerned' for duo as India name squad for West Indies

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Bengal coach Saurasish Lahiri says Abhimanyu Easwaran will have to keep on doing his good deeds before a national team call-up arrives.

The Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran was once again left disappointed as his name was not in the Test squad for the West Indies series. He has been a prolific run scorer in the domestic format across the last few seasons.

The batter has also led India A on many occasions and has been a key contributor, but it was not enough for him to make the cut for the West Indies-bound flight for the red ball format.

And amid this, former Bengal player and current coach Sourasish Lahiri has stayed beside Easwaran and says the player will get his moment if he keeps on scoring runs and winning matches for Bengal in the domestic circuit.

In a chat with MyKhel, the player said it was a surprise that Easwaran was not included in the Test squad in the first place after all the scoring in the last few seasons.

"Abhimanyu Easwaran not getting a chance concerns me. He has done really well for India A which can't be matched by many. We always expect we will get chances, but it can't happen every time. I am sure Abhi (Abhimanyu Easwaran) will keep pushing himself and keep performing despite the setback," Lahiri told MyKhel.

"I am sure if he wins the Ranji Trophy with Bengal and scores a decent run in the Final, he will get a chance in the next Test series. He is a wonderful kid and is very hardworking and talented," he added.

The former player also believes the Bengal captain is a late-bloomer but has no doubt in mind that Easwaran will don the India Test shirt in the coming days.

"Tumi jodi valo kaaj korte thaako, taar tumi fol ekdin paabei (If you keep on doing the good work, you will get the reward one day for sure). Maybe it is taking a bit of time with Abhi, but the way he is playing, he will get the break soon," the Bengal coach added.

Although Abhimanyu Easwaran didn't get a chance, Bengal has one representative in the Indian team as Mukesh Kumar was named for both ODIs and Tests. The Bihar-born pacer has been a revelation for Bengal and got his reward with a flight to the Caribbeans.

And Saurasish Lahiri, who predicted to MyKhel about Mukesh Kumar's ability in Test matches in an earlier chat, was 'elated' and 'proud' after his analysis hit the bulls-eye.

"We are elated. It is a proud moment for all of us here in the Bengal team. Mukesh deserves it. A guy when picks up around 150 wickets in just 39 matches, it just says in numbers. His biggest strength is picking up wickets early in the innings," Lahiri said.

"He is a big-match player. Picking up Virender Sehwag in the first ball, picking up KL Rahul in a Ranji Semi-Final, that is his strength. I have seen Mohammed Shami in front of my eyes, and have seen his evolution. I am sure Mukesh will emulate the same path if he stays in the Indian team for a considerable period of time," the Bengal coach concluded.