Who is Tanush Kotian? Ravichandran Ashwin's Replacement In India Squad For Australia Test Series

Tanush Kotian was added to India squad following Ashwin's surprise retirement from international cricket after the draw Test in Brisbane last week.

Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian has been added to India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The Men’s Selection Committee added Kotian to India squad following Ashwin's surprise retirement from international cricket after the draw Test in Brisbane last week.

Kotian, who is currently in Ahmedabad for Vijay Hazare Trophy, is expected to leave Mumbai on Tuesday and will reach Melbourne before the start of Boxing Day Test, which will be played from December 26.

The spin all-rounder picked two wickets and scored an unbeaten 39 for Mumbai in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Hyderabad on Monday.  

Kotian has fond memories of the Melbourne Cricket Ground where he scored 44 batting at No. 8 for India A and looked the part.

The 26-year-old Kotian is expected to be back-up for Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, the two spinners in the squad, after Axar Patel is believed to have been unavailable.

Who Is Tanush Kotian?

Tanush Kotian, the spin all-rounder, has been a standout performer for Mumbai with both bat and ball, in recent years.

Kotian played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy 2023-24 victory. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his outstanding all-round performance, which included 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and 29 wickets at an average of 16.96.  

The off-spinner has played 33 first-class matches, taking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. In addition to his bowling achievements, Kotian has also scored 1525 runs in 47 innings, at 41.21 with two centuries and 13 fifties.

Kotian and Manav Suthar, the 22-year-old left-arm spin-bowling allrounder from Rajasthan, are seen as future prospects when it comes to the India Test set-up. Both Kotian and Suthar played one game each on that tour of Australia with India A.

India Squad For Fourth And Fifth Tests Against Australia 

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, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian