India A is hosting Australia A for a two-match red ball series followed by the white ball series. prior to that, India-A head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar sounded positive about Abhimanyu Easwaran. The former Bengal captain is coming to the Indian circuit after 7 years and Kantikar thinks that Easwaran is prepared for the challenge. For someone who has been on the wings of the senior test team for so long, coming back to India-A in his 30s is not expected to be an easy one. However, Kanitkar feels that Easwarn is motivated. Speaking to the press, the head coach said, "Abhimanyu is an experienced player. He has captained Bengal and played a lot of cricket at the higher level. So there isn't much need to say a lot to him because he knows how cricket is played." He added, "It was not a big challenge to talk to him because he is already prepared. He knows what to do if opportunities don't come. One good thing is that he stays very motivated to challenge himself, push himself, perform well. And if he gets a chance at the higher level, do well there too. He is mentally very strong and prepared and is also playing well." Read also: Who Is Andy Pycroft? Asia Cup 2025’s Most Debated Referee Abhimanyu Easwaran flaunts Lucknow Lucknow has been a favorite ground for Easwaran. He scored a century on each of the three occasions he played here, having an average of 117.75, with a total of 471 runs in five innings. Last year, Abhimanyu opened the batting for Rest of India in the Irani Cup against Mumbai in Lucknow and scored 191. Just ten days later, he represented Bengal in a Ranji Trophy match at the same venue against Uttar Pradesh, remaining unbeaten on 127. His performances earned him a place in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad. Meanwhile, Lucknow is hosting the first four-day red ball match starting today. There has been a delay in the start of the match due to rain followed by a wet outfield. Notably, Australia won the toss and decided to bat first.