India name Ashwin's replacement for Border-Gavaskar Tests

Mumbai's off-spin allrounder Tanush Kotian has been named as R Ashwin's replacement in India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The series, currently tied at 1-1, resumes with the fourth Test at the MCG on Thursday.  

Kotian, 26, has impressed in domestic cricket, particularly during Mumbai’s 2023-24 Ranji Trophy triumph. His all-round performances—502 runs at an average of 41.83 and 29 wickets at 16.96—earned him the Player-of-the-Tournament award. He also became the only player to achieve the season double of 500 runs and 25 wickets.  

India’s captain Rohit Sharma highlighted Kotian's recent contributions, citing him as the ideal back-up for Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, with Axar Patel unavailable. “Tanush has shown his quality in domestic cricket and played a crucial role in Mumbai's success last year. He’s a very good option for us,” Rohit said.  

Kotian, who was part of India A's recent tour of Australia, brings valuable experience. With 101 wickets in 33 first-class matches at an average of 25.70 and 1525 runs at 41.21, including two centuries, his skill set bolsters India’s options.  

India’s squad for 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