Tanush Kotian’s inclusion adds ‘depth to India’s squad’ against Australia; says captain Rohit

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has expressed confidence in all-rounder Tanush Kotian’s selection for the final two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. With the series tied at 1-1, Kotian has been called up as a replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket.

Tanush Kotian, a spin-bowling all-rounder, has been a standout performer in domestic cricket over the past two years. Rohit Sharma highlighted Kotian’s contributions, especially his role in Mumbai’s successful Ranji Trophy campaign last season, where he emerged as the Player of the Tournament. Kotian claimed 29 wickets and scored 502 runs, including a century and five fifties, at an average of 41.83.

“Tanush has shown his quality in domestic cricket. He was instrumental in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy win, both with the ball and bat. He gives us a solid backup option, especially if we decide to play two spinners in Melbourne or Sydney,” said Rohit during the pre-match press conference.

Kotian has played 33 first-class matches, taking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70 and scoring 1,525 runs at an average of 41.21, including two centuries and 13 half-centuries. His experience includes a recent outing for India A against Australia A, where he scored 44 runs and took a wicket in a warm-up game.

Rohit also clarified the factors leading to Kotian’s inclusion, citing injuries and personal commitments of other spin-bowling options. Kuldeep Yadav is recovering from hernia surgery, and Axar Patel is unavailable due to the birth of his child.

“Kotian was a natural choice. He’s ready and has already played here in the India A series, so he understands the conditions well,” Rohit added.

Addressing concerns over Virat Kohli’s recent dip in form, Rohit Sharma expressed unwavering support for the veteran batter, stating that Kohli is capable of finding his way back to form.

“Virat is a modern-day great. He has been through challenges before and has always come out stronger. We have no doubt he’ll figure his way out of this phase,” Rohit said.

Kohli’s recent numbers highlight his struggle. In 2023, he has scored 614 runs across all formats at an average of 21.92, including one century and two fifties. His Test performance this year has been modest, with 376 runs in nine matches at an average of 25.06.

Despite these numbers, Kohli has shown glimpses of brilliance in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, scoring 687 runs at an average of 36.15, with two centuries and three fifties.

Also See: India vs Australia (IND vs AUS) Schedule | India Cricket Schedule | Australia Cricket Schedule

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.