Big News: BCCI set to appoint domestic stalwart as India's batting coach, to take charge from T20I series vs England

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a big step to bolster India's coaching staff after India's dismal show in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Sports Tak has learnt that, right ahead of the white-ball series against England, BCCI has asked Sitanshu Kotak, a renowned former Saurashtra cricketer, to join India squad as batting coach. Notably, former domestic stalwart Sitanshu Kaushik, who was already a batting coach for India A, will aim to provide valuable guidance and expertise to the Indian batting lineup.

Sitanshu Kotak to become India's new batting coach

Sitanshu Kotak has been asked to join Indian team from the T20I series against England which is set to start from January 22. The series, comprising five T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals, will be played entirely on home soil. The first match of the series, a T20I encounter, is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens on January 22nd. This series marks India's first assignment after the challenging Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. So far India didn't have any batting coach in the new coaching staff led by head coach Gautam Gambhir. India has two assistant coach in Abhishek Sharma and Ryan Ten Doeschate.

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The 52-year-old former left-handed batter, who led Saurashtra, was a dominant force in domestic cricket, playing from 1992-93 to 2013. During this period, he amassed 8061 runs in 130 first-class matches, proving his batting prowess with an impressive average of 41.76. He also cracked 15 centuries and 55 half-centuries, further proving his might as prolific run-scorer.

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Following his retirement, Kotak transitioned seamlessly into a full-time coaching career. After successfully guiding the Saurashtra team, he was appointed as a batting coach at the prestigious National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. In recent years, Kotak has been a regular fixture in the Indian cricket setup. The BCCI has consistently appointed him as the head coach of the India A team, overseeing tours to Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia. Furthermore, his coaching experience extends to the Indian Premier League, where he served as the assistant coach for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the 2017 season.

Sitanshu will have a task cut out with a busy schedule ahead which will see five T20Is and three ODIs against England which will be followed by the all-important Champions Trophy 2025 which is set to start from February 19.

In Gautam Gambhir's coaching India has endured a challenging period as they have lost 6 Tests in a total of 10 outing followed by an ODI series loss. India lost two big Test series loss, a clean sweep against New Zealand, and 1-3 defeat in Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India lost both the series mainly due to their batting fiasco.

Kotak will try to turn Indian batting's fortune with his introduction to the new coaching set up as batting coach,. Notably, the former India cricketer previously served as India A's head coach during Australia tour in last year.