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Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed the reason why 26-year-old all-rounder, Tanush Kotian, was called instead of ace spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Notably, legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket following the completion of the third Border Gavaskar Trophy Test 2024-25 at The Gabba. After his retirement, the Indian team management called up young bowling all-rounder Tanush Kotian for the remainder of the BGT series.
Since India did have a plethora of options to choose from including the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, Kotian’s selection raised eyebrows and led to confusion among fans and experts. However, visiting skipper Rohit Sharma revealed the reason why the management went with a fresher rather than expert names. It is to be noted that Kotian was a part of the Mumbai squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, and is expected to join the team on Tuesday.
Kuldeep doesn’t have a visa: Rohit Sharma jokingly reveals reason for calling Tanush Kotian in BGT squad
A day after the announcement, Rohit spoke to the media and jokingly said that the reason Kuldeep couldn’t join the India squad was because he doesn’t have a visa. However, on a serious note, the cricketer heaped praise on the Mumbai all-rounder, who was all praise for the 26-year-old all-rounder. Kotian was a part of the ‘A’ tour in Australia, where he scored 44 runs and picked a wicket in his only match.
Rohit said, “Tanush was here a month back and Kuldeep doesn't have a visa. We needed someone to get here as quickly as possible. Tanush was ready and played well here. But jokes apart, he has been doing well over the last two years and we wanted a back-up in case we play two spinners in Sydney or Melbourne.” He added, “Kuldeep is not 100 per cent fit as he went through a hernia surgery. Axar recently had a baby so was not going to travel. Hence, Tanush was the best option for us and he was probably one of the reasons why Mumbai went on to win the Ranji trophy last season.”
