Kolkata : Indian all-rounder Tanush Kotian is set to replace Ravi Ashwin for Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 remaining 2 Tests.
Indian legend Ashwin retired from international Cricket after conclusion of 3rd Test of Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Tanush Kotian, one of the big names in Domestic Cricket, is thus roped in the side.
He is currently in Ahmedabad as part of the Mumbai squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts on Thursday with the five-match series level 1-1. Kotian is expected to be back-up for Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, the two spinners in the squad, after Axar Patel is believed to have been unavailable.
Kotian, 26, has played 33 first-class games and taken 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. He has also scored 1525 runs in 47 innings, at 41.21 with two centuries and 13 fifties. He was part of India A’s tour of Australia that preceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – he played one match, scoring 44 runs and taking one wicket.
He played a massive part in Mumbai’s victorious 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign, scoring 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and picking up 29 wickets at an average of 16.96, which earned him the Player-of-the-Tournament award. Kotian was the only player to complete the season double of 500 runs and 25 wickets.
In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, which is being played in two phases with the T20 and List A tournaments in between, Kotian has played two of Mumbai’s five matches, as he was away in Australia. He has been on target with the ball, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 16.66, but hasn’t had much luck with the bat, scoring 30 runs from three innings. His most recent performance of note, though, had come with the bat, when he scored 64 and 114 not out, both from No. 8, in Mumbai’s Irani Cup win over Rest of India in early October. He took 3 wickets in his only bowling innings in that game too.
With his addition to the team, he can be handy with Bat and Ball on the Australian Pitch.
