Tanush Kotian to join India squad; Shami deemed unfit

Tanush Kotian, Mumbai's offspinning all-rounder, is set to join the Indian men's team in Australia for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The move comes after Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of the third Test in Brisbane.

The 26-year-old Kotian, who is currently a part of the Mumbai team in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, is expected to join the squad in Melbourne ahead of the third Test.

Kotian has featured in 33 first-class games, scoring 1525 runs at an average of 41.21 and picking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70.

He was awarded the Player of the Tournament in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24, where he amassed 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and picked 29 wickets at 16.96.

Mohammed Shami's much-awaited return to the national side is set to be stalled further after the BCCI Medical Staff declared the veteran pacer unfit for selection for the final two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Shami experienced a minor swelling in his left knee as a result of the bowling workload he carried since returning from a lengthy layoff.

The 34-year-old's road to recovery started with Bengal's Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh in November.

Shami bowled 43 overs in the game without apparent discomfort and then played all of Bengal's games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that followed.

Earlier, he was rested for the opening Vijay Hazare Trophy game for Bengal as a precaution and now, his participation in the tournament will depend completely on the progress of his rehab.