Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement at the end of the Brisbane Test against Australia on Wednesday, was a crucial architect of India’s home domination that lasted for over 12 years
India vs Australia: File photo of Ravichandran Ashwin
The Indian cricket team has reportedly chosen a spinner to replace Ravichandran Ashwin in the Border Gavaskar Trophy after the veteran star announced his retirement after the third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw on December 18. According to a report in Sportstar, young Mumbai spin allrounder Tanush Kotian has been included in the squad and will fly out to Australia on Tuesday. Kotian has not played any international match before.
The 26-year-old Kotian has played 33 First Class matches picking 101 wickets. In 20 List A matches he has 20 scalps while in 33 T20 games he has 33 wickets. The player previously toured Australia with the India A team ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
“Kotian has been added as a safety net and also to keep the squad number intact for the last two games. He only comes into the picture if either among Washy or Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) gets injured,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. The bowling all-rounder picked two wickets and scored an unbeaten 39 for Mumbai in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Hyderabad on Monday.
Kotian has fond memories of the Melbourne Cricket Ground where he scored 44 batting at No. 8 for India A and looked the part. He already has 101 wickets to his name and 1525 runs with two centuries in 33 first-class games.
Originally, Axar Patel was supposed to be summoned to Australia but as per sources, the left arm spinner had sought a break after first two matches of Vijay Hazare Trophy due to a family commitment.
Kotian has been added to the squad following Ashwin’s surprise retirement from international cricket following the draw Test in Brisbane. The 38-year-old ended his glorious career as the second highest wicket taker for India behind Anil Kumble.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday posted a heartwarming tribute video for recently retired spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who reflected on a very big promise he made to himself early in his career when Indian team registered a series loss against England at home. Ashwin, who announced his retirement at the end of the Brisbane Test against Australia on Wednesday, was a crucial architect of India’s home domination that lasted for over 12 years and kickstarted after India’s loss to England in a Test series in 2012.
India lost the series at home to England in 2012 by 1-2 and Ashwin was early in his international career during that series. Ashwin did end up as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in that series with 14 scalps and overall at fourth spot, but his bowling average of 52.64 and no four or five-wicket hauls meant he was out-bowled by England pair of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann (17 and 20 wickets respectively) and compatriot Pragyan Ojha, who topped the charts with 20 scalps at an average of around 30 and two five-wicket hauls and best figures of 5/45.
Ashwin, then a youngster, was dejected by this series loss and most importantly, a setback at familiar home conditions. In the BCCI video, Ashwin reminisced how he promised himself that he would make sure India would not lose a series once again at home.
“I made myself a promise in 2012, we lost a tricky series against England. I was very early in my career and I was just telling myself we are not gonna lose another one. Ever. And that is what I promised myself,” said Ashwin.
Tanush Kotian, Mumbai’s offspinning all-rounder, is set to join the Indian men’s team in Australia for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The move comes after Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of the third Test in Brisbane.
The 26-year-old Kotian, who is currently a part of the Mumbai team in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, is expected to join the squad in Melbourne ahead of the third Test. Kotian, who is currently in Ahmedabad, will fly back to Mumbai from where he will take a flight for Melbourne on Tuesday. Since he was recently a part of the India A side which toured Australia, there is likely to be no visa issue for him.
Kotian has featured in 33 first-class games, scoring 1525 runs at an average of 41.21 and picking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24, where he amassed 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and picked 29 wickets at 16.96.
Shami deemed unfit for selection
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami’s much-awaited return to the national side is set to be stalled further after the BCCI Medical Staff declared the veteran pacer unfit for selection for the final two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cricbuzz had previously revealed that the NCA hadn’t cleared Shami despite his return to competitive cricket.
In a media release on Monday, the BCCI confirmed that Shami experienced a minor swelling in his left knee as a result of the bowling workload he carried since returning from a lengthy layoff. While the swelling is an expected result, it also means that Shami isn’t quite ready yet to resume playing at the highest level.
The 34-year-old’s road to recovery started with Bengal’s Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh in November. Shami bowled 43 overs in the game without apparent discomfort and then played all of Bengal’s games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that followed. During all this, the BCCI Medical Team were also working closely with Shami to monitor the pacer’s progress for a possible inclusion in the Test squad in Australia. However, with the latest development of swelling, Shami would understandably need more time for completing his rehab.
