Domestic stalwart Sitanshu Kotak is set to join the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff as the Indian cricket team's new batting coach ahead of the upcoming white-ball series against England at home which is set to start on January 22. India will be hosting England for five T20Is which will be followed by three crucial ODIs. This bilateral series is India's first assignment after a 3-1 loss in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The ODI series will also be India's final 50-over assignment prior to the much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
"Shitanshu Kotak has been asked to join the team from T20S vs England as batting coach," A BCCI source told
The Indian cricket team's coaching staff is currently led by Gautam Gambhir as their head coach. Meanwhile, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate are with the team as assistant coaches. Morne Morkel is serving the team as the bowling coach, and T Dilip is the fielding coach.
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Who is Sitanshu Kotak?
Kotak, the former captain of Saurashtra and left-handed batter, was the head coach for the Indian T20I team captained by Jasprit Bumrah during their August 2023 tour of Ireland and India A head coach for November's tour of Australia last year prior to the BGT. From the 1992–93 season to 2013, Kotak had an outstanding first-class career, scoring 8,061 runs at an average of 41.76 in 130 games, including 15 hundred and 55 half-centuries.
Kotak switched to coaching after retiring from domestic cricket in 2013. He started with Saurashtra before becoming a batting coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He has been the head coach of the India A team for the last four years, managing tours to Australia, South Africa, and Bangladesh. He was also assistant coach of the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League.