MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, announced the replacement of retiring bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin for the remaining two Tests of the ongoing five-match series against Australia.
Ashwin stunned the cricketing world by announcing his international retirement with immediate effect following the conclusion of the third Test against Australia.
The 38-year-old has now been replaced by Mumbai spin-bowling all-rounder Tanush Kotian, who is currently participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has named all-rounder Tanush Kotian as an addition to India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy," the BCCI statement read.
With just two days remaining in the commencement of the Boxing Day Test, the all-rounder will depart for Australia on Tuesday and is expected to join the squad in time.
It is pertinent to mention that Kotian has established himself as a standout off-spin all-rounder in Indian domestic cricket, which earned him a spot in the India A squad that toured Australia ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
He has played 33 first-class matches, taking 101 wickets at an impressive average of 25.70.
On the batting front, the right-handed batter has smashed two centuries and 13-half centuries.
In addition, Kotian played a key role in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy 2023-24 triumph. He was adjudged the player of the tournament for scoring 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and taking 29 wickets at an average of 16.96.
India’s squad for 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, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian.
- Ravichandran Ashwin