Tanush Kotian was going about his business – of playing for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 in December – when he got a call-up by the Indian team to reach Melbourne, Australia, ahead of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The 26-year-old was unaware of R Ashwin retiring and only got to know once he received the call.
“I wasn’t thinking about it (India call up). When I played for India A (in Australia, in November), I thought maybe I could get a call-up. I had no idea about R Ashwin’s retirement; I got a call after that,“ Kotian said after the second day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Haryana at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Although the spin-bowling all-rounder didn’t play either of the remaining two Tests, he got to experience a different team atmosphere. “I learned how seniors prepare their game and how they adapt to situations. The level is very different from here. I saw what I need to do to match that level,” Kotian said.
Kotian echoes the sentiments of the cricketing fraternity, hailing Ashwin as a ‘legend’. He was modest when the question of stepping into the shoes of the retiring all-rounder came up. “I don’t see it as trying to fill into his shoes. He has done tremendously well. I can only try and do whatever the best I can,” he said.
Kotian has followed Ashwin throughout his career and made the most of the opportunity when they shared the dressing room during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, playing for Rajasthan Royals. “When I was in RR, he gave me some tips regarding red-ball cricket. Playing with a white ball is a different game altogether. He asked me to focus on red-ball cricket,” Kotian said.
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Apart from Ashwin, Kotian has also received his cricketing lessons playing under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane for Mumbai. “We get to learn a lot from Aju Da (Ajinkya), he has so much experience and has been the Indian team captain. The way he sets fields; his mindset is completely different. He’s 10 steps ahead of us. So whatever we get to learn from him, we try to implement wherever we play.”
Like his State captain, Kotian has kept his game simple and doesn’t put himself under pressure regardless of the situation. This red-ball season, Mumbai’s top order has collapsed on multiple instances but the lower order, consisting of Kotian, Shams Mulani, and Shardul Thakur, has helped it recover.
“Batting in the lower order, the situation gets tricky sometimes, but I don’t take the pressure. Our batting is long, so we try to contribute as much as possible. While batting, we don’t think of ourselves as all-rounders but rather proper batters, and likewise while bowling. Even if the wickets have fallen, we take time and try to capitalise against tired bowlers and score runs. That’s what I have learned in higher-level cricket, and I try to replicate that,” he said.
A similar situation happened in the current match when Kotian and Mulani joined hands after Haryana reduced Mumbai to 113 for seven inside the first 30 overs on day one. They stitched a 165-run partnership, with Mulani scoring 91 and Kotian making 97.
The duo then shared two wickets each to keep Mumbai in the game as Haryana finished the day two 52 runs behind with five wickets left. Kotian feels Mumbai is in the game after the wicket of centurion Ankit Kumar, and with the pitch gradually slowing down.
“Now, the situation is, we can see five wickets on the board, and Ankit’s wicket has fallen, who was set. So, we are in the game and will look to get 2-3 wickets quickly tomorrow morning,” he said.