Mumbai's off-spin all-rounder Tanush Kotian has earned a surprise call-up to join the Indian team as an additional player ahead of the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed on Monday.

Sources have earlier in the day told IANS that Kotian, who's currently representing Mumbai in the league stage matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad, will depart for Australia on Tuesday afternoon.

"Axar Patel was supposed to go to Australia, but with the birth of his first child, he's gone back home and Kotian has been asked to join the Test team in Melbourne," the source said.

Kotian is currently one of the best off-spin all-rounders in the Indian domestic circuit. He was previously part of the India A team which toured Australia for two four-day matches in Mackay and Melbourne ahead of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, currently tied at 1-1.

The BCCI confirmed the news later in the evening via a statement issued by Joint Secretary Devajit Saikia.

“The Men's Selection Committee has named all-rounder Tanush Kotian as an addition to India's squad for the fourth and fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“The off-spinner from Mumbai has played 33 first-class matches, taking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. In addition to his bowling achievements, Kotian has three five-wicket hauls and has scored two centuries and 13 half-centuries. He was part of the India A squad and participated in the second first-class game against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground,” Saikia said in the statement.

Kotian’s first call-up to the Test team comes after veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket following the rain-hit third Test ending in a draw at the Gabba, Brisbane. He will now be one of the three spin-bowling all-rounder options for India alongside the off-spin of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin. While Sundar played the first Test in Perth, Jadeja featured in the third match of the series in Brisbane.

In the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season, Kotian picked 29 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 16.96. He also amassed 502 runs with the bat, including five half-centuries and one century to earn Player of the Tournament in Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji title triumph.

Overall, Kotian has played 33 first-class matches - scoring 2,523 runs at an average of 41.21, while picking 101 wickets and averaging 25.7, including three five-wicket hauls. In Monday's Group C match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Kotian was named Player of the Match after an all-round showing of 2-38 and making 39 not out off 37 balls with the bat to give Mumbai a three-wicket victory.

India's squad for fourth and fifth Tests in Australia: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian