Who is Sitanshu Kotak, newly appointed India’s new Head Coach to assist Jasprit Bumrah?

Sitanshu Kotak will be traveling with Team India to Ireland.

Who is Sitanshu Kotak, newly appointed India’s new Head Coach to assist Jasprit Bumrah?

Sitanshu Kotal (Image via Sportstar)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to send NCA coach, Sitanshu Kotak, to replace VVS Laxman in India’s Tour of Ireland. The 50-year-old coach has played 130 games for Saurashtra from 1992 to 2013, in a 21-year-long career. In those 21 years, he has played 130 First Class matches, 89 List A matches, and 9 T20s. 

Kotak was born in Rajkot in 1972. He is a left-handed batsman who also bowls. In the 130 FC games he has played, Kotak scored 8061 runs while picking up 70 wickets. A career highlight of his was when he scored 168 off 543 balls. He spent 13 hours and 16 minutes in the middle of the pitch. In the same game, he stitched up century partnerships with rising stars Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. 

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Kotak’s last Ranji game ended with heartbreak, as Saurashtra lost the 2012/23 Ranji Trophy finals by an Innings. Batting first, Saurashtra got bundled out for 148. Mumbai scored 355 and then Saurashtra’s innings finished at 85. 

After retiring, Kotak started coaching. He led Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy victory in 2020. He also started coaching India A side in 2019 after Rahul Dravid agreed to be the new head of the NCA. Kotak currently is the batting coach at NCA. 

After VVS Laxman pulled out of the Ireland tour to oversee an emerging camp in Bangalore, BCCI decided to send the veteran First class player as the head coach for the 3-match T20I series. This will be Kotak’s first involvement as a coach with the Men’s senior team.

Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin believes Tilak Varma can be an X-factor for India in ODI World Cup

All eyes on Jasprit Bumrah as he makes his first appearance in over a year

jasprit bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah (Image via News18)

While Sitanshu Kotak coming on board has its share of attention, Jasprit Bumrah making a comeback to International cricket is the hot topic at the moment. The pacer spearhead last played a game in September 2022 against Australia at home. Since then, Bumrah has been out injured due to a stress fracture on his lower back. Now, he will lead Team India against Ireland in the three-match T20I series.

BCCI recently announced a 15-member squad that will travel to Ireland. The squad also includes Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna, who last featured in any game in August 2022, during the tour of Zimbabwe. Bumrah will captain the side, which includes young players like Tilak Varma, Yashashvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar, and others. The series will start on 20th August.

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