Following Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement after the Gabba Test, the BCCI has named Tanush Kotian as his replacement. The Mumbai bowling all-rounder will join India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024/25.
When Kotian was brought in as a replacement, he was with Mumbai’s squad for the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad. He will now travel to Melbourne on Tuesday, where the Boxing Day Test will begin on December 26.
Australia and India will head into the fourth match with the series square on 1-1. It’s an important match for both teams with crucial World Test Championship points at stake.
Kotian, once he joins the squad, will act as a backup for Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. The right-arm off-spinner got the nod ahead of Axar Patel, who was unavailable for selection.
Who is Tanush Kotian?
Kotian has been rising steadily in Indian domestic cricket while turning up for Mumbai. He bowls off-spin while also being a decent batter lower down the order.
His first-class numbers are good, having represented Mumbai in 33 matches, with 101 wickets and 1525 runs under his belt. Kotian also boasts 3 five-wicket hauls, two centuries, and 13 fifties.
Kotian was a key figure in Mumbai winning the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy. He contributed significantly in both departments, racking up 502 runs and 29 scalps to bag the Player of the Tournament award.
Earlier in October this year, the right-hander also helped Mumbai claim the Irani Cup, beating Rest of India. Kotian made crucial contributions of 64 and 114* with the bat while also taking three wickets.
After that, he was also part of India A squad that toured Australia before the senior men’s team arrived in the country. Kotian featured in the second match, where he accumulated 44 runs in the second innings and took a wicket.
The Indian team management is looking at Kotian as a potential upcoming member of the Test squad. Now that Ashwin has retired, the team needs to find his replacement, and Kotian looks to be the first in line.
India’s updated squad for the fourth and fifth BGT Tests:
Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian
