BCCI announces replacement of Ravichandran Ashwin for last two games of BGT 2024-25

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday (23rd December) announced the replacement of Ravichandran Ashwin for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian has been added to the team for the last two games of the series. 

This comes after Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement midway in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. His decision came following the conclusion of the third Test against Australia, which took place at the Gabba in Brisbane and ended in a draw due to the continuous rains over five days. 

With Ravichandran Ashwin leaving the squad midway, BCCI has added Tanush Kotian to the squad. The all-rounder has been rewarded for his terrific performances with the bat and ball in the domestic circuit for Mumbai, helping the team win the Ranji Trophy last year. 

Tanush Kotian has been one of the best spinners in the Indian domestic circuit. The all-rounder has taken 101 wickets at an average of 25.70 in the 33 first-class matches to go with three five-wicket hauls. What has been impressive is his ability to run through the batting lineups. 

Tanush Kotian played a massive role behind Mumbai's title in Ranji Trophy 2023. He scored 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and also picked 29 wickets at an average of 16.96. This also saw him winning the Player of the Tournament in the last edition. 

Releasing the official statement, BCCI stated: "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." 

Tanush Kotian has a decent amount of experience of Australian conditions. The all-rounder was part of the India A squad and participated in the second first-class game against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

India's updated squad for the fourth and fifth Tests

Here's India's updated squad for the fourth and fifth Tests:  

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

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