Tanush Kotian, an uncapped Indian player, has replaced the great all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin in the Indian Test team, hence the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024–25) will include some new and young players. Notably, Ashwin declared his retirement following the Brisbane Test. Consequently, despite his steady results in first-class cricket, this will be the 26-year-old’s maiden appearance on the national team.
Two days remain until the Boxing Day Test, which will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and both teams are considering altering their lineups to accommodate the MCG’s playing conditions. However, others questioned why the more experienced Indian spin combo, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, were not selected before Kotian.
Similarly, in a recent interview, Team India captain Rohit Sharma discussed why he chose Kotian over the much more seasoned spinners in front of the forthcoming “Boxing Day” Test. He also discussed Kuldeep and Axar’s availability and noted that Kotian has demonstrated his potential in domestic cricket.
A month ago, Tanush Kotian performed here in Australia. Kuldeep isn’t entirely fit, and I don’t believe he has a visa. Recently, Axar gave birth to a baby. We truly need a backup in case we require two spinners here or in Sydney, and Tanush is prepared. During Tuesday’s pre-game press conference, Rohit stated, “Tanush has demonstrated his abilities.”
Tanush Kotian encouraging Ranji Trophy performance the previous season
In the 2023–24 season, Tanush Kotian had a fantastic Ranji Trophy, where he excelled with both bat and ball, despite only having a knock of 41 and one wicket when playing for India ‘A’ in Australia. Mumbai’s first-class cricket team saw some impressive performances from Kotian.
He has scored 1,525 runs at an average of 41.21 and claimed 101 wickets in the 33 games. Additionally, Kotian averaged 41.83 while scoring 502 runs in 10 games during the previous Ranji Trophy season. Additionally, he claimed 29 wickets at an economy of just 2.91 at an average of 16.91.
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