Going into the second half of the Border-Gavaskar Series against Australia, India has made a solitary change to their squad for the final two Tests, giving all-rounder Tanush Kotian his maiden call-up to the Test side. Kotian replaces spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket following the Brisbane Test.
The right-arm off-spinner joins India’s red-ball setup as a spin-bowling all-rounder who has recently proven his capabilities with the bat. Rising through the ranks in age-group cricket in Mumbai, Kotian was part of India’s Under-19 team in 2017 and competed in the U19 Asia Cup squad that year, alongside players like Riyan Parag and Arshdeep Singh. However, low returns in the lead-up to the tournament meant he missed out on selection for India’s squad for the 2018 ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where the Prithvi Shaw-led side ultimately clinched the trophy.
Kotian’s performances in India’s age-group domestic tournaments, including the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, soon earned him a place in Mumbai’s senior team, according to ICC. He made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 2018 at the age of 20, taking two wickets against Saurashtra in the first innings. Since then, he has accumulated 101 first-class wickets at an average of 25.70 from 33 matches. A key player in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad, Kotian has also impressed with the bat, scoring 1,525 runs, including two centuries and 13 half-centuries, at an average of 41.21.
During Mumbai’s triumphant Ranji Trophy campaign, Kotian was named Player of the Tournament after finishing with 29 wickets and scoring 502 runs at an average of 41.83, including a century and five fifties in 14 innings. In the ongoing red-ball season in India, the 26-year-old has claimed 12 wickets in five matches. He was signed by the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2024 as a replacement for Adam Zampa, making his league debut but not getting the opportunity to bowl.
In October, Kotian smashed a century against the Rest of India side in the Irani Cup, a performance that earned him a spot in the India A squad for their tour of Australia ahead of the senior team’s five-Test series. He played in the second tour game in Melbourne, where he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings but contributed 44 runs and took one wicket in the second.
With the Test series shifting to Melbourne and Sydney—venues where spinners traditionally thrive—Kotian provides India with a valuable option alongside veterans Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Tests: 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, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian.
