Tanush Kotian's 7/45 against Railways strengthens India Test selection case ahead of Australia series
toi
newspoint|04-11-2026
MUMBAI: Tanush Kotian turned in another superlative performance on Wednesday to stay in the reckoning for a spot in the India Test team when Australia visit for a five-match series next year.
The off-spinner, who took career-best figures of 8/81 against Haryana in the last match, finished with 7/45 against Railways as Mumbai skittled them out for 259, taking a 137-run first innings lead at the Brabourne Stadium.
At stumps, half-centuries from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (79, 85b; 10x4, 1x6) and Divyaansh Sksena (68 not out, 114b; 6x4) guided the 42-time champions to 174/4, stretching their lead to 311 and putting them on the verge of a fourth straight outright win.
The two big performances with the ball, besides his valuable contributions with the bat, mean it will be difficult for the national selectors to ignore him. The competition for the off-spinner's spot is tough, with Washington Sundar the team's first choice and Saransh Jain also in contention after playing in the Sri Lanka series.
Kotian, though, is keeping his head down and taking wickets to keep himself in fray. This season, he has taken 37 wickets in seven first-class matches, including 22 in four Ranji Trophy games, an eight-wicket match haul for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy, and seven wickets in two matches for India A against Australia A.
Asked whether he is close to earning an India Test cap, Kotian said: "I think I am close. But let's see... it's their (national selectors') call in the end. I have to do my things and do them correctly. I will be ready till then."
Right now, he is treating every outing as an opportunity to improve his bowling and implement the new tricks he added to his armour during the off-season, including effective use of the crease, angles and variations.
"This game I used the straighter one effectively, which got me a couple of lbws," said Kotian, who has been included in the India A squad for the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha from Nov 10 to 29.
He also displayed the maturity to adapt to different surfaces, besides showing patience when things did not go his way. In the past, Kotian was guilty of bowling with a flatter trajectory, but experience and working with different coaches over the years have helped him understand the nuances of the art of spin.
"In the last game (against Haryana), it was turning a lot. On this wicket, it was not gripping that much. Being accurate and building pressure was crucial in this game. Bowling maidens and putting pressure on the batters made them play rash shots and I got those wickets," explained Kotian.
In the past, Kotian was brought on mostly when left-handers were batting, but on Wednesday he showed that he is equally capable of toppling right-handers as five of his seven scalps came against them. That can be an useful indicator of his versatility when selectors sit down to pick the team for the Australia series .
The off-spinner, who took career-best figures of 8/81 against Haryana in the last match, finished with 7/45 against Railways as Mumbai skittled them out for 259, taking a 137-run first innings lead at the Brabourne Stadium.
At stumps, half-centuries from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (79, 85b; 10x4, 1x6) and Divyaansh Sksena (68 not out, 114b; 6x4) guided the 42-time champions to 174/4, stretching their lead to 311 and putting them on the verge of a fourth straight outright win.
The two big performances with the ball, besides his valuable contributions with the bat, mean it will be difficult for the national selectors to ignore him. The competition for the off-spinner's spot is tough, with Washington Sundar the team's first choice and Saransh Jain also in contention after playing in the Sri Lanka series.
Kotian, though, is keeping his head down and taking wickets to keep himself in fray. This season, he has taken 37 wickets in seven first-class matches, including 22 in four Ranji Trophy games, an eight-wicket match haul for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy, and seven wickets in two matches for India A against Australia A.
Asked whether he is close to earning an India Test cap, Kotian said: "I think I am close. But let's see... it's their (national selectors') call in the end. I have to do my things and do them correctly. I will be ready till then."
Right now, he is treating every outing as an opportunity to improve his bowling and implement the new tricks he added to his armour during the off-season, including effective use of the crease, angles and variations.
"This game I used the straighter one effectively, which got me a couple of lbws," said Kotian, who has been included in the India A squad for the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha from Nov 10 to 29.
He also displayed the maturity to adapt to different surfaces, besides showing patience when things did not go his way. In the past, Kotian was guilty of bowling with a flatter trajectory, but experience and working with different coaches over the years have helped him understand the nuances of the art of spin.
"In the last game (against Haryana), it was turning a lot. On this wicket, it was not gripping that much. Being accurate and building pressure was crucial in this game. Bowling maidens and putting pressure on the batters made them play rash shots and I got those wickets," explained Kotian.
In the past, Kotian was brought on mostly when left-handers were batting, but on Wednesday he showed that he is equally capable of toppling right-handers as five of his seven scalps came against them. That can be an useful indicator of his versatility when selectors sit down to pick the team for the Australia series .
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