Star Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran owned up to a rare and costly lapse after being dismissed in bizarre fashion during Bengal’s first innings against Services, admitting that the mistake was entirely his own. Easwaran clarified that there was no question of being called back by the opposition, as he had stepped out of his crease without checking whether the ball was still in play.

Batting fluently on 81, Easwaran was involved in one of the most unusual dismissals seen in recent domestic cricket. The incident occurred on the final delivery of the 41st over when Services pacer Aditya Kumar bowled a full-length delivery that Sudip Chatterjee pushed straight back down the pitch.

At the non-striker’s end, Abhimanyu Easwaran mistakenly assumed the over was complete and began walking out of his crease, seemingly under the impression that a drinks break had been called. However, the ball was still live. In his follow-through, Aditya managed to get a fingertip on the return, redirecting the ball onto the non-striker’s stumps.

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With Easwaran clearly outside his crease at the moment the bails were dislodged, Services appealed. The third umpire reviewed the footage and confirmed the run-out, bringing an abrupt end to Easwaran’s otherwise solid knock.

Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran was dismissed in slightly bizarre and unfortunate circumstances on Thursday, being run out after he had stepped out of the crease to get some water, assuming the ball was dead https://t.co/0CrAXbkFEf

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 23, 2026

“The mistake I made surprised even me. There is no question of being called back because it was entirely my fault,” Abhimanyu Easwaran said, accepting responsibility for the error.

Despite the setback, Bengal dominated proceedings after being asked to bat first. Easwaran and Sudip Chatterjee laid a strong foundation with a 151-run opening partnership, forcing Services captain Rajat Paliwal to rethink his decision. Bengal reached 174/2 before Chatterjee continued to anchor the innings with Anustup Majumdar and later Shahbaz Ahmed.

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Chatterjee went on to play a marathon knock of 209, stitching together crucial partnerships with Shahbaz Ahmed, Sumanta Gupta, and wicketkeeper Shakir Habib Gandhi. His dismissal eventually triggered Bengal’s collapse, but not before the side had piled up an imposing total of 519, firmly placing themselves in control of the match.