Rising spinner Tanush Kotian claimed four wickets on Day One of the four-day match between India A and South Africa A.
His heroics with the ball helped India A restrict South Africa A to 299 runs for the loss of nine wickets.
Speaking on his performance, the spinner said that bowling to batsmen such as Ajinkya Rahane has helped him develop his spin skills.
“In the Mumbai Ranji team, there are many players who have played for India, and they are the best batsmen against spin anywhere. So, I think it helps me,” he said after the day`s play.
“They tell us about the areas where they will feel difficult to play an off-spinner, so it helps us with the tactics and field placements. We have Ajinkya Rahane, who was our past captain, and Shardul Thakur, who is the new captain. So, these senior players help us a lot to get our best in the match,” added Kotian.
He then explained how he used his experience to strike wickets against the Proteas` batsmen.
“When we (spinners) started bowling, it was not spinning that much; there was a bit of moisture on the pitch. So, we started attacking (Zubayr) Hamsa a little bit and later the left-handed batsman (Jordan Hermann) also. After the lunch, we had a plan to bowl stump lines, to keep them tight as much as we can, and we will try to give them less runs and get 2-3 wickets by tea, which later helped us to get 9 wickets,” said the 27-year-old cricketer.
The Mumbai spinner said such opportunities and the chance to learn from India A coach, Sunil Joshi, have boosted his confidence.
“Sunil sir also has taught me a lot, we had a few sessions at nets also he was teaching me how to tackle the South African batsmen, Australian batsmen. It is helping me and I am learning a lot from the coaches over here and also from the Mumbai team,” said Kotian, who was included in India`s squad when spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin had retired from international cricket.
“It is helping me to be ready whenever an opportunity comes my way. I will wait to play for India but right now my goal is to learn as much as I can and do well in each and every game,” he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
