Sitanshu Kotak Added As Team India’s Batting Coach

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) had a review meeting earlier this month after a 3-1 series defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. In the meeting, a few major points were discussed including constant batting failures by Team India. After the meeting, the BCCI decided to add former Saurashtra batter, Sitanshu Kotak as a batting coach. He will start his tenure in an upcoming 5-match T20I series against England. The reason to add Sitanshu Kotak as a batting coach, despite Abhishek Nayar in the mix, is still unknown.

BCCI had a review meeting after a loss in BGT

Team India hasn’t had a great time in the last few months. After winning T20 WC 2024 in USA-Windies, they have lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka (SL), a humiliating 3-0 home test series loss against New Zealand (NZ), and a 3-1 loss in the BGT 2024-25.

After a recently concluded BGT 2024-25, the BCCI held a review meeting in which a few major points were discussed. India’s captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, selection committee head Ajit Agarkar, and a few BCCI members were present at the meeting. A newly appointed board secretary, Devajit Saikia, was also present.

Sitanshu Kotak added as Team India’s batting coach

The BCCI has discussed a few major concerns regarding Team India’s poor run in the last few months. A constant batting failure is one of the major discussions in the review meeting. After the discussion regarding that, the board has decided to add former Saurashtra stalwart Sitanshu Kotak as India’s batting coach.

Sitanshu Kotak has been serving as a batting coach in the NCA (now known as Centre of Excellence) since 2019. He has been on several India A tours for the same role. The 52-year-old was an interim batting coach during India’s Ireland tour in which VVS Laxman was an interim coach.

A former Saurashtra stalwart, Kotak was one of the finest batters in domestic cricket. He was known for his strong technique and played for more than 20 years. Kotak played domestic cricket until 2013 and scored almost 11,000+ runs. In List-A cricket, he has scored 3083 runs with an average of 42.33 and a top score of 122*. He has also scored more than 8,000 runs in First-Class (FC) Cricket.

Why Kotak has been added to the setup?

Despite Abhishek Nayar, India’s current batting coach, the board has added Sitanshu Kotak for the role. Although the management has asked for a specialist batting coach going forward, it is still unknown why Kotak was added.

Maybe because the Indian batters have failed to deliver for a while, the management felt the need for another expert in the batting department. Batters’ constant failure was the main reason behind India’s loss in SL, at home against NZ, and in AUS. In fact, in the BGT, the bowling has also been scrutinized as Jasprit Bumrah seems to be the only bowler who looks threatening in the series.

Kotak will be the fifth member in the coaching staff

The Indian team coaching staff already have Gautam Gambhir (head coach), Morne Morkel (bowling coach), Abhishek Nayar (batting coach), and Ryan ten Doeschate (assistant coach) in the mix. When Gautam Gambhir becomes India’s head coach, he brings his support staff. T Dilip, who has been serving as a fielding coach since Rahul Dravid’s tenure has been retained by the management.

Sitanshu Kotak will be the fifth member of Team India’s coaching staff. He will start his tenure in the upcoming five-match T20I home series against England on January 22 in Kolkata.

India will host England for 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs

Team India will host England for a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series. The series will begin with the first T20I at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on January 22.

After the T20Is, the ODI series will begin on February 06 in Nagpur. The ODI series will be a good preparation for both teams before an all-important ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The BCCI has also announced the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. Jasprit Bumrah has found his place in the team along with M Shami. There was some uncertainty over Bumrah’s place when he complained about his back issues.

Rohit Sharma will continue to lead Team India in ODIs, with Shubman Gill appointed as his deputy.

India squad for the Champions Trophy 2025:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Conclusion

So this is the latest news from the Indian team. The BCCI has added Sitanshu Kotak as the team’s batting coach after a consistent batting failure by the team. Former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has also criticized the coaching staff along with the players for their poor performances.

FAQs:-

(1) Has Sitanshu Kotak ever played for Team India in international cricket?

No. Kotak has never played for India in internationals.

(2) Will Rohit Sharma retire from tests?

Currently, Rohit hasn’t made any official announcement about his test retirement. He wanted to play test cricket for a while, but it depends on how the selectors see him for the next tour. India’s next tour is in England in June-July, and Rohit’s performance with the bat and in captaincy has been poor in tests in the last few months.