The calls for Abhimanyu Easwaran’s inclusion in the national setup, especially in Tests, have always been loud, and India’s drubbing at home against South Africa amplified them further.

The domestic stalwart, however, has tuned out all the noise and stayed focused on leading Bengal by example. In a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash here on Sunday, he showed that he was no one-trick pony against a Punjab side riding high on Abhishek Sharma’s carnage.

The precision hitting en route an unbeaten 130 (66b, 13×4, 8×6) even prompted Ravichandran Ashwin to sarcastically state that Abhimanyu’s T20 performances might help convince the Indian selectors to pick him for the Test team.

For his part, the 30-year-old is choosing to stay grounded and wait for his turn, however long and arduous it may be.

“There will be times when you feel disappointed, but that is the reality you have to face. Not everybody’s journey is the same. I have been part of the Test team for a few tours. It is just about waiting for my opportunity, and till the time comes, my job is to keep improving every single day and get better as a cricketer. I will keep working hard till I play for India. That is not going away,” he told the The Hindu.

While his knock against Punjab earned him plaudits, Abhimanyu was happier to have ensured that Bengal’s Net Run Rate did not take a bigger hit. He was also delighted to reap the rewards of the hard work put in training sessions.

“A few things that I have been training on worked well [against Punjab]. One of them is exploring different areas of the field. For example, the switch hits and the reverse sweeps came into play very well.”