File image by Tanush Kotian.© BCCI
With legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announcing his retirement, 26-year-old spin bowling all-rounder Tanush Kotian has reportedly been selected to join Team India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There has been no official announcement yet, but reports suggest Kotian is set to depart for Australia on Tuesday to join the rest of the squad ahead of the fourth Test in Melbourne from Boxing Day. But who is Tanush Kotian? And why was he chosen over better known names like Yuzvendra Chahal or Axar Patel?
Kotian’s selection is a sign that the Indian team is rewarding players who perform well at the domestic level. Kotian was adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season as his team Mumbai won the tournament.
Kotian’s impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy saw him included in the India A squad for two unofficial Test matches against Australia A in November. Although Kotian only took one wicket in the match, he also showed off his skills with the bat with an excellent batting average of 44 and a strike rate of 8.
Kotian, who hails from Mumbai, has represented the team impressively in first-class cricket, taking wickets at an average of 25.70 in 33 matches. He also boasts a whopping average of 41.21 with the bat.
Eagle-eyed cricket followers will recall that Kotian also played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Although he did not bowl well, the fact that he was brought in to open highlighted RR’s confidence in his batting.
According to reports, Kotian is only a stand-by option in case Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja both get injured. But considering his record with both ball and bat, he could be a dependable customer if he gets his first India cap Down Under.
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