England's renowned batting figure, Kevin Pietersen, has publicly expressed his interest in becoming India's new batting coach, particularly in light of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) growing concerns following a disappointing tour of Australia. Nevertheless, the BCCI opted for domestic cricket icon Sitanshu Kotak as the new batting coach, with Kotak expected to take on this role during the upcoming home white-ball series against England. India is scheduled to compete in five T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals against England, commencing on January 22.

The current coaching team for India includes head coach Gautam Gambhir, bowling coach Morne Morkel, fielding coach T Dilip, and assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate. With no dedicated batting coach in place, Gambhir and Nayar have been concentrating on the batting unit since their appointment by the BCCI. However, following a poor performance by the batters during the home series against New Zealand and the 1-3 series loss in Australia, the BCCI resolved to bring in a specialist batting coach.

As reported by the Indian Express, Kotak is set to take on this position ahead of the highly anticipated Champions Trophy tournament, starting with the T20I series against England at home. The team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is expected to arrive in Kolkata for the first match on January 18, where they will participate in a three-day training camp.

"Kotak will be joining the Indian team as a batting coach. The Indian team will be having a three-day camp in Kolkata, and players will be reporting on January 18," a source from the Indian board informed the national daily.

A look at Sitanshu Kotak's coaching credentials

The 52-year-old individual, a former captain of Saurashtra, is regarded as one of India's domestic cricket legends, having participated in professional cricket from 1992 to 2013. Kotak accumulated a total of 8,061 runs in 130 first-class matches, achieving an impressive average of 47.16, which includes 15 centuries and 55 half-centuries. In List A cricket, he scored 3,083 runs at an average of 42.33.

After retiring from playing, he took on the role of coach for Saurashtra, subsequently becoming the batting coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He also had a stint in the Indian Premier League as an assistant coach for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions. Over the past four years, he has served as the batting coach for India A, with his latest assignment being the tour of Australia. Additionally, he acted as the interim head coach for the Indian team, led by Jasprit Bumrah, during the T20I series in Ireland in August 2023.

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