Tenacious Tanush vows to carry on after IPL snub

Mumbai: Tanush Kotian was “heartbroken” when he didn’t go under the hammer during the IPL auction held in December 2022.The allrounder was hoping to attract a bid considering he had very good outings in white-ball cricket for Mumbai including a Man-of-the-Match performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Himachal Pradesh. The reason for his non-selection? A murmur on the morning of the auction over him being called for a suspect action. “First I thought it won’t make much of a difference as there was nothing like that (called for suspect action),” says Kotian but as the auction progressed, he realised that it may have cost him an opportunity to feature in the premier T20 league.“It was a frustrating period for me. I was hurt. I had attended trials at Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings; it had gone well.”He adds: “Barring injuries, I have played every match for Mumbai, so it suggests that there is no issue with my action. Even the BCCI never stopped me from playing.”A day before the auction, he was on a high. The 24-year-old had taken his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and along with his spinning partner Shams Mulani had snared 18 wickets between them to guide Mumbai to an innings and 271 runs win over Hyderabad in just three days.It has been a breakthrough season for the allrounder in his first full outing for Mumbai. He took 20 wickets in Ranji Trophy, and it could have been more if not for the multiple injuries he suffered to his bowling hand. He bowled with a swollen finger against TN and then was unable to bowl in the final group game against Maharashtra after suffering a cut and getting six stitches on his right hand. But one thing people in the Mumbai maidans vouch for is his tenacity and it was on display during both those matches where he contributed with the bat, scoring half-centuries in both. Overall, he scored 303 runs in six innings at an average of 101 with the help of four fifties — most of them in crunch situations.His highest score of 93 came in the last match against Maharashtra where he — alongwith keeper Prasad Pawar and tailenders — almost gave Mumbai the first innings lead which could have sealed their spot in the quarters, but Kotian was out to a sweepshot, the first innings was tied and both teams were knocked out in group stages. “I couldn’t sleep for a few nights after that. I felt guilty for playing the sweep shot. My intention was to just paddle it for a run. But it went too fine and I played the ball onto the leg stump,” says Kotian. Kotian is now looking forward to upgrading his skills for the next season. “I will look forward to adding new variations to my bowling, especially in white-ball cricket. Besides that, I will focus on improving my hard-hitting game, someone like Ravindra Jadeja, who always contributes with the bat,” he said.
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