Tanush Kotian, the offspin-bowling allrounder from Mumbai, has been selected as R Ashwin's replacement in India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Kotian is set to depart for Melbourne on Tuesday, following Ashwin’s retirement after the third Test in Brisbane. He is currently part of the Mumbai squad competing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, based in Ahmedabad.

The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts on Thursday, as the series stands level at 1-1. Kotian is expected to serve as a backup for spinners Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, as Axar Patel is reportedly unavailable for selection.

At 26, Kotian has substantial experience, having participated in 33 first-class matches, where he has taken 101 wickets with an average of 25.70. Moreover, he has accumulated 1525 runs in 47 innings with a noteworthy average of 41.21, featuring two centuries and 13 half-centuries. He was part of the India A squad during their tour of Australia preceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he featured in one match, scoring 44 runs and taking one wicket.

Kotian played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s successful 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign, contributing 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and claiming 29 wickets at an average of 16.96. His all-round performance earned him the Player-of-the-Tournament award, making him the only player to achieve the season double of 500 runs and 25 wickets.

In the current Ranji Trophy season, which is split into two phases with T20 and List A tournaments in between, Kotian has featured in two of Mumbai’s five matches, as he spent time in Australia. With the ball, he has taken 12 wickets at an average of 16.66, though his batting returns have been modest, managing just 30 runs from three innings. Notably, he showcased his batting prowess earlier in the season during Mumbai’s Irani Cup triumph over Rest of India, scoring 64 and an unbeaten 114 from No. 8, along with three wickets in the match.

Alongside Manav Suthar, a 22-year-old left-arm spin-bowling allrounder from Rajasthan, Kotian is regarded as a promising prospect in India’s Test setup. Suthar and Kotian both played one game each during India A’s tour of Australia. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Saurabh Kumar from Uttar Pradesh appears to have fallen down the pecking order.

India’s Squad for the Fourth and Fifth Tests

Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian.

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