Mumbai's off-spin-bowling all-rounder, Tanush Kotian, has been selected to replace R Ashwin in India's squad for the final two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests. This decision follows Ashwin's retirement after the third Test in Brisbane. Kotian is set to travel to Melbourne on Tuesday, leaving behind his participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad.
The closely contested five-match series, currently tied 1-1, resumes with the fourth Test starting Thursday. Kotian is likely to provide support to spinners Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, as Axar Patel remains unavailable for selection.
At 26, Kotian has established an impressive domestic record. In 33 first-class matches, he has claimed 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. His batting prowess is equally commendable, having scored 1525 runs across 47 innings at an average of 41.21, including two centuries and 13 fifties. During India A's tour of Australia before the Border-Gavaskar series, he played a single match, contributing 44 runs and taking one wicket. Kotian's standout performance came during Mumbai's victorious 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign, where he amassed 502 runs at 41.83 and bagged 29 wickets at 16.96, earning him the prestigious Player-of-the-Tournament title. Notably, he was the only player that season to achieve the remarkable double of 500 runs and 25 wickets.
In the current Ranji Trophy season, disrupted by T20 and List A formats, Kotian has played only two of Mumbai's five matches due to his commitments in Australia. With the ball, he has been exceptional, taking 12 wickets at an average of 16.66, though his batting has been modest, scoring just 30 runs in three innings. However, his recent Irani Cup performance highlighted his batting potential, scoring 64 and an unbeaten 114 from No. 8, coupled with three wickets in a match-winning effort for Mumbai against the Rest of India in October.
Kotian is viewed as a promising prospect for India's Test setup alongside Manav Suthar, a 22-year-old left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder from Rajasthan. Both were part of India A's tour of Australia, each featuring in one game. Saurabh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, at 31, appears to have slipped behind in the pecking order.
India's Squad for the Fourth and Fifth Tests
- Captain: Rohit Sharma
- Vice-Captain: Jasprit Bumrah
Players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian