Indian players are seen during a practice session ahead of the third Twenty20 international in Rajkot on January 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

Sitanshu Kotak was SoSed into the Indian dugout as batting coach ahead of the England T20Is after the team’s dismal show with the willow in Australia.

The inability of the India batters — including seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — to adjust to the conditions Down Under was a major point of discussion.

Kotak, however, is not worried about the sudden nature of the call-up and is looking forward to working with the veterans and guiding the youngsters.

“Rohit and Virat are very senior players. The amount of cricket they have played and the way they have performed, it would not be unfair to say there might be a lot of things for me to learn from them. That is the way this game goes,” Kotak said during the pre-match press conference of the third T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.

When asked if he has anything specific to convey to Rohit and Kohli, Kotak added: “If they are in a mindset to take any inputs, yes, I would have certain things in my mind and I will say it, but it has to be at the right time and they should feel that they are ready for that.”

Kotak opined that a proper “plan and mindset” are needed to strike the right balance between aggression and defence.

“We see a lot of batters playing aggressive cricket because of T20. I wouldn’t say they cannot defend. Australian pitches were different, Indian wickets were different and the next series will be in England. That will be a different challenge. So, how well we can execute our plans will be more important”.

India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak addresses the media ahead of the third T20 match between India and England, in Rajkot, on January 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Mohammed Shami’s non-inclusion in India’s Playing XI for the first two T20Is against England had created doubts about his fitness.

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak put an end to the speculation and gave a positive reply on the pacer’s health. Kotak, however, was not keen on revealing the reason behind the delay in the 34-year-old’s return to international cricket.

“Shami is fit, yes. I am not the one who can answer anything about why he is playing or not playing. There is a definite plan and (we are) looking ahead at the upcoming matches and ODIs. That is something coach Gautam (Gambhir) and Suryakumar (Yadav) will take a call on, but fitness is definitely not a problem,” Kotak revealed on the eve of the third T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

When asked about whether India has any specific plans for the batter-friendly pitch here, Kotak added: “Rajkot is known to be a good batting track. So, it should be a high-scoring game. I wouldn’t say (we have) any areas we will look at because England will also come up with certain plans. The batters will react to what they are bowling… every team does it and we will also do it”.