The ongoing lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has come as a blessing in disguise for Abhimanyu Easwaran.

The Bengal captain is spending precious time with his family at home in Dehradun, especially after a gruelling domestic calendar, which didn’t go too well for him personally, although his team did manage to finish second best in the Ranji Trophy.

By Abhimanyu’s own admission, it indeed has been a much-needed break for him during which he has also ensured to contribute towards the cause of the needy and migrant workers in Dehradun, donating Rs 2.5 lakh and giving ration to 100-plus underprivileged families.

“Well, staying at home is a priority at present. For me, it’s a blessing in disguise too as I can spend some time with my family at home, watch movies and relax. Under normal circumstances, I would have to be in Calcutta now playing the CAB League matches,” Abhimanyu told The Telegraph.

“But at the same time, I’m working further on my physical fitness, focusing on my diet and trying to find out how I can get mentally stronger. This is a good time to refocus on my strengths and weaknesses, and I’m concentrating on them.”

Team Bengal finished the season on a good note after a sloppy show in their limited-overs campaign. But Abhimanyu couldn’t quite get going in the Ranji Trophy, aggregating only 258 at an average of 17.20, which may put him behind in the race for India reckoning.

But Abhimanyu was quick to emphasise that the challenge of captaincy hasn’t been a reason at all for his struggle. “Captaincy is not at all a pressure or burden for me. It’s a privilege, which brings responsibility along with. I’ll make sure I carry it out to the best of my abilities.

“Yes, captaining at the senior level is challenging, but I got to learn a lot last season and I would like to enjoy this responsibility,” he stated.

He is not worried with his lean patch and feels he’s just “one innings away” from getting back his form.

“See, my role is to get runs for my team, that’s my primary focus. And these lean patches happen and I don’t think I need to make too many changes in my game. I can turn it around with one big innings, which is just a matter of time.

“Also, Arun (Lal) Sir sent a message about what we need to work on now, so we are trying to do whatever is possible at present,” he added.

Making amends with the bat and scoring as many runs as possible is definitely one of Abhimanyu’s targets for the coming season, in order to keep knocking on India doors. But winning as many titles as possible for Bengal is his main goal.

“Yes, scoring big for the state is obviously important, but that’s not my sole aim. If a batsman tallies 1,000 runs or more in a season, that’s generally a benchmark, but I don’t see it that way.

“To me, a player can also shine and make a mark by taking some quality catches and effecting good run-outs,” Abhimanyu explained.

“Besides, I don’t quite set targets individually. I look to contribute as much as I can in whichever way possible for my team. My main goal is to win as many trophies as possible for Bengal in the coming season,” he added.

Fake Twitter handle

The Twitter handle @Abhimanyu073 is ‘fake” and has nothing to do with him, Abhimanyu clarified. “Somebody has made a fake profile of mine on Twitter,” he said.

“If he tells us about this case, we’ll report it to the cyber crime cell,” CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said.