Abhinav remains hopeful

It’s not often that an opener comes up with an innings of 81 in his last Test innings for India and then finds himself out in the cold.

Abhinav Mukund made 81 against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle las year but such was the competition for places among openers in the Indian eleven that he found himself out of the eleven for the second Test.

Then a disastrous domestic season, where he was plagued by injuries as well, put him out of India reckoning.

Abhinav remains hopeful. Captaining India Red, he said here on Monday, on the eve of the Duleep final, “It is a matter of a few good innings before my name props up again.”

The tenacious southpaw realises the climb back into the Indian Test team will take a lot of doing. “Selection is not in my hands, it is not something I can control. What I can do is score big runs consistently.”

The 28-year-old Abhinav has got starts in the Duleep Trophy but not produced a headline-grabbing innings yet. “I am hitting the ball well. I got a fifty against India Blue but did not kick on. I am confident the long innings will come soon.”

Having made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies on a testing surface in Kingston, Jamaica, Abhinav has not had a consistent run in Tests; he has 320 runs in seven Tests at 22.85.

The coming days will test his resolve.