Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran is playing a Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand on Tuesday. Interestingly, it is the first time that the 27-year-old is playing a first-class game in the stadium named after him. Moreover, Abhimanyu has smashed 46 runs off 42 balls so far and will be eyeing a fifty.
Abhimanyu's father Ranganathan Parameswaran Easwaran bought a huge piece of land in Dehradun back in 2005 and spent an astronomical amount from his pocket to build a first-class cricket stadium named Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Stadium.
"It is a proud moment for me to play a Ranji game at a ground where I have learnt all my cricket as a young boy. This is a result of his (father's) love and hard work and it is always a great feeling to come home but once you are on the field, the focus is on winning the game for Bengal," Abhimanyu had said on the eve of the match.
The star cricketer has scored 19 hundreds and was recently part of the Indian Test squad in Bangladesh.
While stadiums named after legendary cricketers post-retirement aren't a new phenomenon, there aren't too many examples where an active Indian uncapped first-class cricketer was going to ply his trade on a cricket stadium named after him.
Whether the Viv Richards ground in Antigua, Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba (Trinidad & Tobago), or Allan Border field in Brisbane, the grounds and stadiums were rechristened once the legends finished their illustrious careers.
In that regard, Abhimanyu playing at 'Abhimanyu Stadium' is indeed a special occasion for both father and son.
"Yes, I don't think there are many instances, but for me, this is not an achievement. Yes, it feels good but the real achievement would be if my son can play 100 Tests for India. This is a stadium I built because of my passion for the game and not just for my son," RP Easwaran told PTI ahead of the Ranji Trophy game.
"I started constructing (it) in 2006 and I am still spending from my pocket to upgrade it constantly. There are no returns but it's all about my love for the game."
A chartered accountant by profession, Easwaran started the 'Abhimanyu Cricket Academy' in 1988 even before his son was born in 1995.
"I had been a newspaper vendor and sold ice creams in Dehradun as I completed my CA degree. I wanted to give back to the game and it is my good fortune that God gave me a son who also plays cricket. But the passion to create a cricket facility was always there. Now I have left active practice and just relax," he said.
While he is a proud father of an India 'A' captain, what gives him more satisfaction is that his academy has produced five players who are in the Uttarakhand Ranji team, including seamer Deepak Dhapola, who got eight wickets in the last game.
"Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, and Dinesh Karthik have all come here and practiced at our facility. We have built 60 rooms for accommodation, 20 hostel rooms, floodlit indoor practice facility during monsoon, state-of-the-art gymnasium, staff quarters, in-house laundry, bakery," Easwaran said.
Bengal Playing XI: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Manoj Tiwary(c), Shahbaz Ahmed, Abishek Porel(w), Akash Deep, Pradipta Pramanik, Ishan Porel, Geet Puri, Sayan Mondal
Uttarakhand Playing XI: Jiwanjot Singh(c), Kunal Chandela, Aryan Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Aditya Tare(w), Abhay Negi, Mayank Mishra, Akhil Rawat, Avneesh Sudha, Deepak Dhapola, Akash Madhwal
