"Amount of cricket they’ve played, there’s much to learn from them": Sitanshu

Team Indias newlyappointed batting coach Sitanshu Kotan has outlined his approach and priorities as he begins his tenure with the national side He has extensive experience working with India A and at the National Cricket Academy and has taken over the role of the national teams batting coach after the side came from a backtoback Test series lossSitanshu Kotaks first assignment is the ongoing T20I series against England but his focus will be setting up the team for the Champions Trophy 2025 Ahead of the marquee event he shared his coaching philosophy and plans for working with senior players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit SharmaSitanshu Kotak feels that his familiarity with the younger players in the side gained through his time at the NCA and India A will be an advantage in his coaching stint The batting coach is equally eager to work with the stalwarts such as Virat Kohli and Rohit SharmaldquoRohit and Virat are very senior players The way they have performed and the amount of cricket theyrsquove played therersquos much to learn from them as wellrdquo Sitanshu Kotak told reporters in the press conference ldquoIf I can add value even by 2537 it would be a great thing Itrsquos all about understanding their mindset and plans and sharing inputs at the right timerdquoWhile Kotak has yet to work closely with Sharma and Kohli he expressed confidence in building a productive relationship with the duoIndiarsquos batting struggles particularly in Tests have raised questions about the players defensive techniques Kotak acknowledged that the aggressive nature of T20 cricket has influenced batting styles but emphasized that defensive skills remain crucial in redball cricket ldquoI wouldnrsquot say they canrsquot defend Itrsquos more about plans and mindset Depending on the conditionsmdashbe it Australia India or the upcoming series in Englandmdashhow well we plan and execute will be criticalrdquo he notedSince taking over the T20I captaincy Suryakumar Yadav has been instrumental in shaping Indiarsquos approach in the shortest format However his recent dip in form has drawn scrutiny Sitanhsu Kotak backed the skipper highlighting his selfless style of playAlso ReadRecovery takes a team Kuldeep Yadav grateful to NCA team for his injury recoverySurya has been performing But sometimes I feel we also expect a lot Like every game if we think Surya The T20 game has become so aggressive that there will be times when batters will get out because they are playing fearless they are playing selflesslyBecause if you want to score 200 225 and if you are careful and trying to save your wickets both things wont go hand in hand So he is definitely a person who is playing for the team He is very selfless and that is what he is telling the whole group of batters that we have to be selfless added KotakThe noninclusion of veteran pacer Mohammed Shami in the first two T20Is against England had led to speculation about his fitness Kotak put those concerns to rest confirming that Shami is fully fitHowever he refrained from commenting on the reasons behind Shamirsquos absence leaving the decision to head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav ldquoYes Shami is fit but something about him playing or not playing I am not the one who can answer There is definitely a plan for Shami for coming matches as well as Onedayers but the coach Gautam and obviously Surya will take a call And fitness definitely not a problem depending on how they are planning to build this load Kotak saidLooking ahead to the third T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot Sitanshu Kotak predicted a highscoring contest on the batterfriendly pitch ldquoSee I personally believe because of T20 we see a lot of aggressive cricket I wouldnt say that they cant defend They can defend It is more about the plans and the mindset for me So going forward depending on wickets because Australia was different Indian wickets were different and the next series will be in England he saidThat will be a different challenge as well So how well we can plan and how we can execute those plans will be important Rajkot is known to be a good batting track Both teams will come with specific plans and the batters will react accordinglyrdquo he addedWhile the BCCI is yet to make an official announcement Kotakrsquos appointment is expected to extend into Indiarsquos fiveTest tour of England in June His emphasis on adaptability understanding player mindsets and fostering selfless cricket aligns with Indiarsquos broader goals of rebuilding after recent setbacksAs India prepares for the Champions Trophy and beyond Sitanshu Kotakrsquos ability to balance the development of younger players with the needs of seasoned campaigners like Sharma and Kohli will be crucial to the teamrsquos successWith IANS Inputs