Tanush Kotian is likely to join the Indian cricket squad in Melbourne ahead of the Boxing Day Test, it has been learned. The 26-year-old allrounder has been asked to be ready for a Tuesday departure for Australia but has not had an official go-ahead just yet.
“Very happy, I will be getting more details soon but will be joining the squad,” he told TimesofIndia.com.
Kotian comes in as a replacement for R Ashwin – who announced a sudden retirement at the conclusion of the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. It left two spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, in the squad.
Sundar played the first Test at Perth, which India won by 295 runs, while Jadeja played the second fixture at the Adelaide Oval.
In the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, Kotian took 29 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 16.96 while also scoring 502 runs, including five half-centuries and one century. He was named Player of the Tournament that season, thus playing a massive role in Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji title.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy stands at 1-1 after three Tests with contests at the MCG and SCG to go.
