After a brilliant 2023-24 Ranji season, he’s continued to put up big scores, including a 97 from No. 9 in the quarter-final against Haryana
Sreshth Shah10-Feb-2025Tanush Kotian has a reputation for being one of the best offspinners in India’s domestic circuit, but he is quietly moving towards becoming a dependable allrounder, with crucial scores for Mumbai. His latest, 97 in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Haryana in Kolkata, rescued Mumbai from a precarious 94 for 6 to lift the side to 315.In 51 first-class innings, the 26-year-old now has two centuries and 15 fifties and an average of 42.23, ensuring opposition bowlers rarely get a breather, even when Mumbai’s star-studded top-order is dismantled.”My strength is that I face balls well and I rely on my timing,” Kotian said in Kolkata after the second day of the quarter-final game. “I back my shot choices even if the chips are down. I shield myself from the pressure even if we’ve lost wickets. I like to shift the pressure on the opposition bowlers. I keep my game simple.Related
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“In the last couple of seasons, I have batted lower down in a variety of situations – sometimes with the team dominating and sometimes when we’re in trouble. What helps is that Mumbai’s batting goes deep, and I don’t take pressure myself. Mohit Awasthi, Shams Mulani and Shardul Thakur also bat lower down, so all we think about is to find a way to contribute.”Kotian’s batting chops were first on display last season, when his all-round performances helped Mumbai lift the Ranji Trophy after a six-season gap. The context of those runs was important, often rescue acts that took Mumbai from a precarious position to a place of dominance.For instance, in last season’s quarter-final, he hit 120 in a mammoth ten-wicket partnership with Tushar Deshpande to deflate a buoyant Baroda. In the semi-final, his 89 against Tamil Nadu resurrected Mumbai’s innings on a spinning surface. In the Irani Cup, he struck 120 against a strong Rest of India bowling attack to end Mumbai’s 27-year wait for the trophy.
“When I was with Ashwin in Rajasthan Royals, I took a lot of red-ball tips from him. He told me to park aside my white-ball thinking and focus on the red-ball game specifically; it’s an area where he thinks I can make a big impact”Tanush Kotian
As a result, in the 12 months that have gone by, Kotian has been Player of the Tournament in the Ranji Trophy, lifted the Irani Cup as well as the Ranji Trophy, earned a call-up into the India Test squad and picked up the prestigious Best Domestic Player award at the BCCI’s annual awards. A dream-like few seasons that, when viewed alongside his 105 first-class wickets at 25.41, makes him a frontrunner to be a replacement for his “idol” R Ashwin in the Test team down the line.Despite his big scores, Kotian still comes in at No. 8 or 9 in the Mumbai XI in a team stacked with internationals like Ajinkya Rahane, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and most recently Rohit Sharma.”We don’t think like we are bowlers who are batting or even as allrounders,” he said. “When batting, we think like batters, even if we lose wickets earlier. When we often bat, the ball is old and the bowlers are tired, so we think how to utilise those things to our advantage and to target our opponents.Tanush Kotian excellent form earned him a call-up to the India Test side•Tanuj/Ekana Cricket Stadium”I am a genuine allrounder. I don’t think whether batting or bowling is my only role. Just because I bat lower down the order, I don’t think any less of myself as a batter. In club cricket, I bat at No. 4 and No. 5. Even at Under-19 and junior cricket, I batted at No. 6 or so. Batting at No. 9 for Mumbai is just a function of how deep Mumbai bat. We need to take into consideration the left-right combinations too.”While Kotian was called up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after Ashwin’s retirement, he felt that was because he was accustomed to the Australian pitches, having played there for India A in the weeks leading up to the Test series. He said that being part of the Test set-up for two games and conversations with Ashwin at Rajasthan Royals have added an extra dimension to his game.”Ashwin is a legend. I don’t think his shoes can be filled,” Kotian said. “I will try to emulate him as much as possible. Ashwin is someone I’ve followed like an idol. Nathan Lyon too. When I was with Ashwin in Rajasthan Royals, I took a lot of red-ball tips from him. He told me to park aside my white-ball thinking and focus on the red-ball game specifically; it’s an area where he thinks I can make a big impact.”And in the Test set-up, the atmosphere is totally different from our domestic game. I learnt how seniors plan each session and their match preparations. Also how to adapt to situations. There’s a big difference in the level between this [domestic cricket] and that [international cricket] I realised, so have added those learnings into my game.”
