Following the dismal tour of Australia, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) became increasingly concerned. So England batting legend Kevin Pietersen officially put himself forward to be India’s next batting coach. Sitanshu Kotak, a legend in domestic cricket, was chosen by the BCCI to be the new batting coach instead of the big name. The Saurashtra veteran is expected to take over the position.
He is set to begin the home white-ball series against England. Beginning on January 22, India will play England in three ODIs and five T20Is. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, fielding coach T Dilip, bowing coach Morne Morkel, and two assistant coaches, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, make up India’s current coaching group. Gambhir and Nayar have concentrated on the hitters because the squad lacks a dedicated batting coach.
However, the BCCI chose to hire a new specialist batting coach. After the batters’ appalling performance in the whitewash against New Zealand at home. Their 1-3 loss on the tour of Australia. Before the most anticipated Champions Trophy tournament, Kotak will take over, beginning with the home T20I series against England. India will hold a three-day camp in Kolkata. Before the Suryakumar Yadav-led team arrives for the opening game on January 18.
India’s Batting Woes
The 52-year-old, who held the position of captain for Saurashtra from 1992 to 2013, is considered a domestic cricket legend in India. In 130 first-class games, Kotak amassed 8061 runs at 47.16, including 15 hundreds and 55 fifties. In List A cricket, he has amassed 3083 runs at an average of 42.33. After retiring, he coached Saurashtra before taking a position as batting coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
He also served as an assistant coach with the now-defunct Gujarat Lions during the Indian Premier League. He has been the batting coach for India A for the past four years; the tour of Australia was his most recent duty. In August 2023, he served as the temporary head coach of the Indian side, captained by Jasprit Bumrah, during the Twenty20 International series in Ireland.
