Who Is Tanush Kotian?: India have called up Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian into the Test squad in Australia as a replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement following the India vs Australia third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Brisbane last week. Currently in Ahmedabad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Kotian is set to depart from Mumbai and is expected to arrive in Melbourne on Tuesday ahead of the IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test, set to start on December 26.
R Aswhin surprised the cricket community by announcing his sudden decision of retirement from all of international cricket with two Tests still to go in the ongoing IND vs AUS series. Aswhin ended his career as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests with 537 scalps.
Filling Ashwin's shoes is undoubtedly a daunting, if not impossible, challenge. However, Kotian, an off-spin all-rounder, offers a like-for-like replacement. But who exactly is Tanush Kotian?
Who Is Tanush Kotian?
Born in Mumbai on October 16, 1998, Kotian is a right-arm spin allrounder and has climbed the ranks in Mumbai's age-group cricket and was also a member of India’s Under-19 team in 2017. He also featured in the U19 Asia Cup squad in 2017, alongside the likes of Riyan Parag and Arshdeep Singh.
Kotian has delivered impressive performances for Mumbai in first-class cricket, taking 101 wickets in 33 matches at an average of 25.70. He also has three five-wicket hauls to his name. Additionally, he has an outstanding batting average of 41.21, with two two centuries and 13 half-centuries.
During the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season, Kotian scalped 29 wickets in 10 matches at an excellent average of 16.96. With the bat, he scored 502 runs, including five half-centuries and a century, earning the Player of the Tournament award in Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji title victory. Kotian also helped Mumbai win the Irani Cup with scores of 64 and 114 in the match against Rest Of India.
In the Hyderabad vs Mumbai match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 23 (Monday), Kotian was named Player of the Match for his stellar all-round performance. He took 2-38 with the ball and scored an unbeaten 39 off 37 deliveries, guiding Mumbai to a three-wicket win.
As the IND vs AUS Test series shifts to Melbourne and Sydney, venues where spinners traditionally thrive more than other parts in Australia, Kotian adds a valuable option to India’s lineup alongside the experienced Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.