Amidst Team India’s dismal batting performances in the recent Test series against New Zealand and Australia, the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Thursday named Sitanshu Kotak as India’s batting coach ahead of the upcoming limited-overs series against England and the Champions Trophy next month, reported PTI.
Kotak flew to Australia with the India A side in November 2024 and is currently the head coach of the India A team. Kotak is a longtime staff of the National Cricket Academy as its batting coach.
The decision was taken after assistant coach Abhishek Nayar’s performance was scrutinised during the tour of Australia.
“It is clear that Abhishek Nayar’s expertise isn’t helping the players. Kotak has been a specialist batting coach for a lengthy period of time and has also got the trust of the players,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.
“We have an India A shadow tour and Kotak normally handles the A team. He is a qualified Level 3 coach and has assisted VVS Laxman in the past and was also the head coach when India toured Ireland last year. Since he is NCA staff, he can be put anywhere,” PTI quoted the source as saying.
Earlier, he also was the head coach of the Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian team that toured Ireland for a T20I series in August 2023.
Who is India’s New Batting Coach, Sitanshu Kotak?
Aged 52 years now, Kotak was a left-handed batter and played domestic cricket between 1992-93 season to 2013, scoring 8061 runs in 130 first-class matches at an average of 41.76 with 15 centuries and 55 half-centuries.
He was particularly known for two strokes — the cover drive when the ball used to be pitched up and the flick when it was pitched on pads.
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