Mumbai’s off-spin all-rounder Tanush Kotian has earned a surprise call-up to join the Indian team as an additional player ahead of the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed on Monday.
Sources have earlier in the day told IANS that Kotian, who is at present representing Mumbai in the league stage matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad, will be leaving for Australia this Tuesday afternoon.
"Axar Patel was supposed to leave for Australia, but owing to the birth of his first child, he's gone back home and Kotian has been requested to join the Test team in Melbourne," the source added.
Kotian is currently one of the best off-spin all-rounders in the Indian domestic circuit. He was earlier part of the India A team that toured Australia for two four-day matches in Mackay and Melbourne ahead of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which is currently tied at 1-1.
The BCCI confirmed the news later in the evening via a statement issued by Joint Secretary Devajit Saikia.
The Men's Selection Committee has added all-rounder Tanush Kotian to India's squad for the fourth and fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"The off-spinner from Mumbai has played 33 first-class matches, taking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. Apart from his bowling accomplishments, Kotian has three five-wicket hauls and has scored two centuries and 13 half-centuries. He was also a part of the India A squad and played the second first-class game against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground," Saikia said in the statement.
It follows an established off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, with immediate effect resigning from the international version of the sport after an inconclusive three-test and rain-abbreviated cricket match at Gabba which ended in Brisbane.
Besides Washington Sundar's right-arm off-spinner, left-arm spinning, allround Ravindra Jadeja, Kotian will one of the other two who will complete a three-step spin bowling array for team India. Even while Sunder did have to step in for just the first game of series in Perth, Jadeja played in third Test also in Brisbane.
During the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season, Kotian took 29 wickets in 10 matches with an average of 16.96 and also scored 502 runs with the bat, five half-centuries, and one century to help Mumbai win their 42nd Ranji title and secure the Player of the Tournament.
Overall, Kotian has played 33 first-class matches – scoring 2,523 runs at an average of 41.21, while picking 101 wickets and averaging 25.7, including three five-wicket hauls. In Monday's Group C match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Kotian was named Player of the Match after an all-round showing of 2-38 and making 39 not out off 37 balls with the bat to give Mumbai a three-wicket victory.
India's team for the fourth and fifth Tests in 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
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