In a Cricket.com exclusive, Tanush Kotian speaks about his humble beginnings, how he turned into an off-spinner and the push to pursue his Indian dream
Over the last six years, Tanush Kotian‘s rise has been nothing short of a fairytale.
To his teammates, he’s Mumbai’s unwavering “crisis man,” the player who stands tall when a match seems lost. For the Indian fans, he’s seen as the natural heir to Ravichandran Ashwin, a formidable all-rounder poised to carry a legacy forward.
Kotian’s journey began two decades ago, not on Mumbai’s Maidaan but on the streets of Mumbai, where his father, Karunakar Kotian, played tennis ball cricket. He wasn’t just following in those footsteps; he was destined to outrun them. Today, he is a linchpin in Mumbai’s continued domestic success and a vital part of the next generation of India’s red-ball team.
At just 26, his record speaks for itself: an impressive 114 first-class wickets and a commanding 2,030 runs at an average of 45.11. His contributions have resonated far beyond the domestic circuit, with crucial performances for India ‘A’ during demanding tours of both England and Australia.
As the cricketing world watches, Kotian’s story is still unfolding. He’s on a mission, fueled by the dream of donning the Indian jersey in the longest format.
In a freewheeling cricket.com chat, the 26-year-old Mumbaikar opened up about his humble beginnings, his love for the sport, and how he transformed himself into an off-spinner and his continued pursuit of becoming India’s next Test debutant.
Here’s the full interview:
Q) You have a special connection with tennis-ball cricket; your dad, Karunakar Kotian, was famous in the tennis-ball circuit. Could you talk about his influence on your game?
My dad inspired me to take up cricket. My dad played cricket when I was a kid, and I followed him to watch his matches. There was already a cricketing environment, with my dad playing tennis-ball cricket. People were very passionate as well.
Professional cricket is 20-overs, 50-overs or Test, but they play a tournament in two days in tennis ball cricket. They play five-over matches, and how quickly it shifts, so I was very interested in cricket from there on.
Growing up, I started playing cricket with friends in my building, using every kind of ball we could find—plastic, rubber, and tennis balls. My passion for the game quickly grew. When my dad saw I was doing well, he encouraged me to take up cricket seriously. He became my first coach at his coaching centre in Vikhroli, where I began my journey as a batter and fast bowler.
But slowly, when I grew up, I realised that pacers don’t get a lot of help in Mumbai wickets, and there were a lot of spin-friendly wickets. So, I saw that as an opportunity to become an off-spinner, and I got wickets. Slowly, I became an all-rounder from a batter. The more I played age-group cricket, the better I did, and I started playing as a bowling all-rounder in the Mumbai divisions.
Q) Okay, you started as a batter, so where did the transformation come to becoming an off-spinner? Do you remember what exactly led you to become an off-spinner?
I don’t remember exactly when I became an off-spinner. But the story is that my dad used to coach in Vikhroli, and I was playing better than people in my age group. My dad then made me play against the bigger boys, where they used to hit me. That’s when I felt I should do something different and started bowling off-spin. Then, I used to do both: pace and spin.
When I went to VN Sule school, I used to train under Gopal [Koli], where I played Harris Shield and Giles Shield. From there, I learned what cricket was. When I was in St Joseph, it was like a pond, but when I got to VN Sule [Guruji English School], it was like a lake. I understood the competition and slowly started growing and improving.
I was always hungry to perform and prove, so that also helped me grow faster. I used to do well as an off-spinner, take multiple wickets in games, and picked up a five-wicket haul in one game as well. From there, I got the belief that I will become an off-spinner.
Q) You are one of the three off-spinners in Indian domestic cricket to pick over 90 wickets across the last three seasons. How do you remain so consistent? More importantly, people say anyone can become an off-spinner, but what separates you from others?
Off-spin has a lot of variations, you can play with pace, turn and the crease. You can flight the ball, dip it, and straighten it. Only the main off-spinners actually explore different things. I have worked a lot on my off-spin, and I’m doing well consistently for Mumbai.
In Mumbai, there’s a healthy competition for spots, which is pushing me to perform better and better. Whenever the team is in a tough spot, I want to do well and help Mumbai win. My thinking is always about how I can improve myself to make a positive difference for the team.
Q) When you got that call from the BCCI that you were replacing Ashwin, what was the emotion like? And when you told your family, what was the most memorable reaction?
I remember I was playing a Vijay Hazare match against Hyderabad in Gujarat, and we had just finished bowling. At lunch, our manager came to me and told me, ‘You have been selected for India, you will be playing instead of Ashwin.’ I got a call from BCCI, and we spoke about the arrangements, and I was really happy. We won the match.
After the match, I told my family I would be leaving for Australia, and they were happy. It was a dream-come-true moment, and my dad was excited. I spent the dressing room with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. I also got to chat with Ashwin bhai while on the ‘A’ tour, so it was quite an experience for me.
Q) Naturally, my next question is about Ashwin; you spent a season with RR as well. What were some of the learnings you had from the seasoned off-spinner?
He’s [Ashwin] guided me a lot; he told me how white-ball cricket differs from red-ball cricket. In white-ball cricket, every dot ball is like a victory for the bowler. But he asked me to focus on red-ball cricket because it requires skill to pick up wickets. In white-ball cricket, there are ups and downs.
But in red-ball cricket, you will get the opportunity to showcase your skillset in every game. You get to improve in every game while playing red-ball cricket. So, that was the main learning curve for me from Ashwin.
Q) Okay, as an all-rounder, what’s your thought process when you go out to bat or bowl? Did it change from when you first started playing cricket? Are you taking batting more seriously now than before?
At first, I had a mindset like a bowler when I used to go to bat. But when I started practising for my batting with [Omkar] Salvi, I slowly understood the importance. He told me, ‘You have the batting quality, you have scored runs in age-group cricket, you should be contributing even while batting in the lower order’.
He told me that when you are going to bowl, you think that you have been picked as a bowler and as a batter when you are batting. Mumbai’s batting is so good that you should think of yourself as another batter and an all-rounder. First, I used to think like an all-rounder, and I’m batting at No.8, but he asked me to think as a batter and do well, not think about the number or position.
Q) Mumbai’s ‘Crisis Man’, it is quite a big tag, so tell me how you really tackle the pressure, and what is your thought process when you go out to bat in a tough situation?
When I go out, sometimes the situation is difficult. There is pressure. But I don’t take so much pressure. I don’t think about the scoreboard. Whatever it is, I play my natural game. The situation is also on my mind, but I think, how can I take the team out of this situation? How can I play session by session? How can I contribute so many runs to the opponent in that situation? That is my mindset.
I know that I have shots, I have a good defence, and I have the game. How can I evolve my game in that situation? How can I take my team out of that situation? That is in my mind. Whenever I feel like the opponent is bogged down, I take the attack to the opposition and take the team out of the crunch situation.
Q) I need to ask you this, Tushar Deshpande scored a hundred from No.11. In the aftermath of that, did you guys pull his leg, and what’s the conversation like in the dressing room?
We always have a fun dressing room, Tushar [Deshpande] is also very good at batting, and he goes to bat at No.11. We still talk about that partnership; he told me that ‘You know, I have also scored a 100, I want an opportunity to bat up the order’. I still remember the match, when I was batting with Tushar, he had that rush of blood, and he had that power.
He just wanted to hit every ball. I used to advise him and tell him to wait for the ball to go soft, and you will get the opportunity. He implemented them very well. He hits long sixes and has an incredible swing. Once set, he was batting like a proper batter.
Q) I know how important both the Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy were in your career. Could you just tell the uninitiated how these tournaments shaped you to become a better cricketer?
I learned a lot about myself in the Duleep and Irani Trophy. We had A, B, C and D teams in the Duleep Trophy. After a good Ranji Trophy season, where I won the Player of the Series, I entered the Duleep Trophy confidently. But I knew I had to step up from there and perform in the Duleep Trophy to show the selectors.
Otherwise, they will feel that he’s just performing in the Ranji Trophy. So, I had that in my mind that I had to do well in the Duleep and Irani Trophy. I remember I played for India ‘A’, and did really well in the Duleep Trophy as an all-rounder, and we won the tournament. The Irani Trophy was also very crucial.
I remember how we were in trouble in the Irani Trophy, when I joined Sarfaraz [Khan] and we had a good partnership, where I scored 76 in the first innings. I took 3-4 wickets with the ball and then topped it with a 100* in the second innings, so it was a big thing for me. After that, I wanted to win the Ranji Trophy and had the fire to prove to everyone.
It was similar for the Irani Trophy as well; every time Rest of India wins, we haven’t won against them for a long time. We have been playing for 2-3 years, so there was self-confidence and belief that we would lift the Irani Trophy.
Q) Over the last year or two, you have played and practised both in Australia and England, conditions that are not spin-friendly. How does an off-spinner learn from these tours, and what’s your biggest learning curve?
Oh, my experience in England and Australia were very different. In Australia, we were playing with the Kookaburra ball, and it was a little hard for 30 overs. After that, the ball becomes a little soft, but the seam is a little inside. You don’t get to grip it a lot; you rely on overspin a lot. But because the ball bounces a lot, you get an advantage.
When I played in England, it was the Dukes ball. It was a very hard ball and heavier than the others. But it is fun to play with the Dukes because it retains its shine and glossiness for a long time. The ball doesn’t become too soft, and it is fun to spin on those wickets. We have to employ sidespin or overspin, so it was a fun experience, and I learnt a lot from there.
I’m still trying to implement it here in the Ranji Trophy.
Q) Heading into the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy season, have you worked on something technical in terms of improving your game?
I don’t think about technical things; I’m a little different, so I don’t want to tinker with that part too much. It takes a lot of time for me to tinker with those technical things, and it is a long process, so I don’t think much about that. What I do think about is performance and runs, and how I can better myself and learn from different situations.
Q) After a long tenure, Ajinkya Rahane recently stepped down as Mumbai’s captain. What are your thoughts on that? Also, how much has he helped you during his time as Mumbai’s captain?
I have played a lot under Ajju pa [Rahane], and he has always backed me a lot. When I bowl, too, he was the one who used to set the field for me, and his tactical awareness of the game is top-notch. He also brings that energy into the team, and I feel that if he’s able to do it at that age, I should as well, which motivates the entire team.
I feel like ‘he has made me’ into the cricketer I am, and I have learnt a lot about my game from him. So, I owe a lot of my success to him. But if he feels the team needs to groom a new captain, I think it is the right direction.
Q) Do you see Shreyas Iyer as a natural successor for Rahane? What do you make of him becoming Mumbai’s next captain?
Shreyas Iyer is a very good candidate to be Mumbai’s next captain. His CV speaks for itself, and he’s a strong option. But it depends on the management, as they have to take the call. There are a lot of others too, there’s Shardul [Thakur], Shivam [Dube] and Sarfaraz [Khan], so they will have to take a call depending on availability.
Q) Because we spoke about Shreyas, I wanted to know about your IPL 2025 experience with the Punjab Kings. Did he influence you to join the team?
I really enjoyed my time at PBKS. I have previously been part of RR’s setup as well. So, when I got a call from the manager about joining PBKS, I was excited. They were looking for an off-spinning batter as a potential replacement option. They told me that Ricky Ponting sir was impressed.
Shreyas Iyer, too, spoke to Ponting and told him how good I was. I joined the team as a net bowler. But when we went to Dharamshala, the wickets were batter-friendly, so they didn’t look for an off-spinner. They picked the Australian all-rounder [Mitch Owen], so I returned to Mumbai to practise for the England [Lions] series.
Q) You are now part of the India ‘A’ setup. Do you see that as a natural audition for India’s home series against West Indies? Did you have a chat with the selectors about the Windies series?
No, we haven’t talked about it yet. But I think that I should focus on every game of India A. The selection is in the hands of the selectors. My job is to perform well and give 100%. I will try to get five wickets in each game. I will try to control the controllables. The selectors will see that. If I get a chance, I will prepare for that as well. I will go there and show what I’m capable of.