Tanush Kotian does not believe he has anything left to prove. Yet, as another Ranji Trophy season beckons, the Mumbai all-rounder knows that the surest way to bring himself back into the national conversation is to keep doing what he has done for years — take wickets, score runs and make himself indispensable to his team.
The 27-year-old’s performances in Mumbai’s triumphant 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign earned him the Player of the Tournament award and, subsequently, a maiden India call-up as a replacement for R. Ashwin during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Since then, however, a Test debut has remained elusive. Saransh Jain was preferred as the off-spinner for India’s tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, leaving Kotian to continue making his case through domestic cricket and India A assignments.
“I am performing but there is no disappointment,” Kotian said here on Saturday, the eve of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Chandigarh. “I see how I can win games for my team by performing in each and every match. Wherever I get the opportunity, whether it is India A or the Duleep Trophy, I can showcase myself and show what talent I have. In fielding, too, I try to give my 100 per cent. I just try to tick the boxes. The rest is up to the selectors, and I will wait for that opportunity. When it comes, I will grab that chance.”
With India’s next home Test assignment against Australia scheduled to begin in January, the coming months offer Kotian another opportunity to push his case. He is aware that a strong Ranji campaign will be crucial.
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“I have been working with Sunil Joshi sir at the Centre of Excellence and over here also at VPCC (Vasoo Paranjape Cricket Clinic) with Jatin Paranjape sir. I am working on my skills a little bit, and I think this game will be crucial for me to show my performance and get into the side,” he said.
The work has involved adding more options to his off-spin rather than altering his basic action. Kotian has been working on his angles, pace and variations, particularly the arm ball and the straighter delivery. He has also begun operating with the new ball, a role he experimented with during the Duleep Trophy in consultation with Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“I have been using the crease really well with the angles, bowling over the wicket and round the wicket to right-handers as well as left-handers. I am also working on the pace — which pace is effective on which wickets,” he said.
“With the new ball, I have worked on the arm ball. In the Duleep Trophy, I started with the new ball in the first innings. I have worked on that and shown it in practice as well. I think it will be more effective when I get the new ball and a hard ball to work with on the surface.”
The evolution has come through experience and experimentation. Kotian says he has not changed his action but has tried different grips, becoming more confident about taking his ideas straight into matches.
“Every year is something special for me. I bring something new and try it directly in games. I feel I am more equipped now. I have four or five years of experience and am capable of doing it directly in a match. I have evolved a lot,” he said.
Kotian’s value to Mumbai, of course, extends beyond his off-spin. He has regularly contributed with the bat, and his approach is to treat both disciplines as opportunities to change a game rather than separate responsibilities.
“I keep it as simple as possible because I don’t complicate things. When I go out to bat, I play my shots. I don’t think about the pressure the team is under. I try to put pressure on the opponents and score as much as I can,” he said.
“In bowling, whenever I get the ball, I try to take wickets. If the team needs me to contain runs, I do that job. I try to express myself well.”
He breaks matches down into smaller targets rather than setting a personal tally for the season. A half-hour session could mean taking a wicket or scoring 20-30 runs; a longer spell could be about adding 50 runs or claiming two wickets.
That mindset also explains why Kotian refuses to dwell on Mumbai’s quarterfinal defeat to Karnataka last season, when the defending champion failed to protect a target of 326. He had bowled 22 overs and felt his effort was better than the wickets column suggested.
“I don’t want to go into wickets and all, but I think I have taken a lot of wickets, including top-order wickets, and have a lot of five-wicket hauls in my bag. I don’t have to prove to anyone what I have done,” he said.
Kotian had also returned from an elbow injury to play in the knockouts, despite having initially been ruled out. He believes his bowling in that defeat was among his best, even though dropped catches denied him a greater return.
“If a few chances had been grabbed, I would have seen a five-for too,” he said. The IPL, meanwhile, remains a potential avenue to showcase his white-ball skills. Kotian has attended trials but has not yet secured a place in the league. He recognises the exposure it offers, though he has not allowed its absence to distract him from red-ball cricket.
For now, the immediate challenge is familiar: turn preparation into performances, one innings and one session at a time. A Test call-up remains the ambition and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy the short-term goal, but Kotian knows there is only one way to make the selectors look his way again.
Published on Oct 10, 2026
