MUMBAI: Competing neck and neck with Madhya Pradesh's off-spinner Saransh Jain , Tanush Kotian is doing his best to stay in the race and in the radar of national selectors.

On Thursday, the 28-year-old took a career-best eight for 81 in 34.3 overs in the second innings against Haryana. Having taken three for 70 in 30.5 overs in the first innings, Kotian finished with match figures of 11 for 151. His effort helped Mumbai register their third consecutive bonus-point win of the season, as they beat Haryana by 10 wickets at the MCA ground in BKC on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match.

The match was a special one for Kotian as it was his 50th first-class appearance. He marked the occasion with his first 10-wicket haul in a match and his fourth five-wicket haul.

"I have had four years of progress and improvement in my bowling. I did a lot of tours, I was also with the India team. They all guided me a lot, like I was practising with (BCCI COE spin bowing coach) Sunil Joshi sir, Jatin (Paranjape) sir and Rajesh (Sanil) sir (childhood coach and mentor). A lot of people have guided me. I am trying to use that experience in my bowling," Kotian told reporters after the match.

The off-spinner, who took three for 30 against Chandigarh in Mumbai's opening match of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, said he had worked on his line and length, added new variations and tried different angles to trouble batters.

"I have improved a lot in line and length. I have brought in two-three variations which are helping me in deceiving and beating the batsman. I am trying to do that in every match and working on my accuracy as well. I have worked on different angles. Sometimes when I was bowling from over the wicket to the lefty, I was using angles and crease and it looked better as I was not allowing the batters to get set. It was helping me in creating pressure on the batsmen and doubts in their minds," he said.

Explaining what worked for him against Haryana, Kotian said he focused on bowling in the right areas and asked for specific field placements to support his plans.

"I was looking to bowl in good areas and the field set-up that I needed, I was specifically asking for it and bowling accordingly. I was able to create opportunities and was in a good rhythm."

Kotian also scored his 20th first-class half-century in Mumbai's first innings. He said he had been working on improving his batting while focusing on accuracy with the ball.

"I have worked on myself. In batting, I’m trying to contribute in the lower order and improve further but in bowling, I feel that I've worked a lot on my accuracy. I feel that's the key. I'm accurately bowling at the right place. I’m also talking to the ‘keeper as to how it is going and I am happy with that," he said.

Kotian was also asked whether Saransh Jain's performances, including his 13 for 89 (7-40 & 6-49) against Bihar in the third round, had added to the competition for a place in the Indian team.

"No, it's not in my mind. Even though they selected Saran Jain, he's doing well. I'm doing well too. But my aim is to perform as well as I can in the Mumbai team, or whether it's Irani Cup or Duleep Trophy, wherever I go, in every match, I want to perform like that. In batting and bowling, the selectors will do their job and I want to do my job," he replied.
'Morkel and Lyon guided me in Aus'


Kotian is yet to make his Test debut for India, but he travelled with the team for the final two Tests of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. During the tour, he sought advice from India's bowling coach and former South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel, as well as Australia's spin great Nathan Lyon.

"I worked with Morne Morkel. I also talked to Nathan Lyon who guided me. I was also with (Ravindra) Jadeja. (Like in Australia), the bounce is extra so how can I bowl more over-spin balls. Over there, Nathan Lyon guided me with the run-up and how to use the over-spin. Whatever I learnt there, I’m working on that and working with seam positions and variations so that is helping,” Kotian told reporters on Thursday.

Asked whether he had made any technical changes to become more comfortable bowling around the wicket to right-handers, and whether he was thinking about a possible India call-up for the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in January-February 2027, Kotian said his focus was on improving his bowling across different angles.

“As for the BGT, we’ll see. I’ve focused on being equally comfortable bowling ‘around the wicket’ and ‘over the wicket’ to both left-handers and right-handers. Since last year, I’ve worked on ensuring that no matter which angle the captain asks me to bowl from, I feel confident in executing it,” he said.

Kotian bowled 65.3 overs across the two innings against Haryana, doing so in Mumbai's October heat and humidity. He said he had been waiting for an opportunity to bowl a long spell and wanted to give the captain confidence in his ability to do so.

"I was waiting for this opportunity. I was trying to bowl as much as I could. I think this is the first time that I've bowled this much in a match. I'm giving the captain the confidence that I can bowl this much and can get that many wickets as well. In the last four years, we were all getting wickets together and this time I got the opportunity. The ball was coming out from my hand well and I was getting the wickets from one end," the Vikhroli resident said.

Of the eight wickets he took in the second innings, Kotian said he particularly enjoyed dismissing Haryana's well-set No. 8 batter Samant Jakhat, who scored 40. He bowled Jakhat to break an eighth-wicket partnership.

"There was a partnership for the eighth wicket, and to have got the ball through the bat and pad (for the breakthrough) was something crucial as the game opened up after that," he said.