Meet Sitanshu Kotak: The former Saurashtra batter who could be India's new batting coach under Gautam Gambhir

Sitanshu Kotak is said to be in line for the position of India's batting coach. Should this appointment go through, Kotak will be working alongside the coaching staff led by Gautam Gambhir. This staff includes assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, as well as bowling coach Morne Morkel.

The Indian team will be reporting at Kolkata on January 18 for a three-day camp before the start of their five-match T20I series against England and it is further reported that Kotak could be taking charge on that day.

Sitanshu Kotak's playing career

Kotak is a veteran of 130 first class matches. He played for about two decades for Saurashtra in domestic cricket, making his debut in the 1992/93 season and playing his last match in October 2013. Kotak scored 8061 runs in his first class career at an average of 41.76 with 15 centuries and 55 half-centuries. He also played 89 List A matches and scored 3083 runs at an average of 42.23 with three centuries and 26 half-centuries. Kotak never played for India.

Kotak was known for his strong technique and tendency to play some dogged innings. He has prior experience of handling the Indian team, having been part of NCA chief VVS Laxman's coaching staff quite a few times whenever the India batting great filled in as the team's head coach for Rahul Dravid or Gambhir. Kotak has been one of the top coaches of the India A and Under-19 set up since Dravid's elevation to head coach to head of cricket at the NCA in 2019.

Kotak's appointment comes at a time of uncertainty within the Indian squad following a forgettable 2024/25 season after their T20 World Cup victory. The team's coaching staff has come under fire since their 3-1 series loss to Australia in a five-match Test series Down Under, which resulted in them conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade. Before that, India's record-breaking dominant run in Tests at home ended in a spectacular as they were whitewashed 3-0 by New Zealand. That result itself came after they lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time since 1997. A sharp decline in the fortunes of the batters has been a key feature in all these series defeats.

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