Kotak was brought on board after India’s horrid batting performance at home against New Zealand and a series defeat in Australia last season. The BCCI selectors moved away from Abhishek Nayar, the assistant coach who looked over the batting department, and added the domestic giant, who has mentored India A on several tours.

Ahead of the England tour, there were apprehensions about the batting unit’s lack of experience, especially after the sudden retirements of senior batter Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. But India quickly shut the talks around them after the team clobbered 853 runs in two innings, with centuries from captain Shubman Gill, his deputy Pant, and openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

On Tuesday, ahead of the start of the fifth and final day in Leeds, Panchal shared a lengthy post crediting Kotak for the “visible shift” in India’s batting and deemed him an unsung hero during this transition phase.

Panchal wrote: “There’s been a visible shift in India’s batting temperament since that forgettable tour of Australia. Less drama, more clarity. Less noise, more intent. And quietly playing a pivotal role in that transition is Sitanshu Kotak, a man who never grabbed headlines as a player, but whose deep understanding of the Indian cricketing psyche is finally making headlines for the right reasons. Kotak wasn’t a flashy name on the circuit, but in domestic cricket, he was a titan. Someone who knew how to score runs in Rajkot heat or on a green top in Mohali. That exposure, to Indian conditions, temperaments, and dressing room moods, is his real asset.

His role in the India A system earlier gave him an early peek into the next-gen stars. Now, as a batting coach for the senior team, he’s doing something rarer by understanding the personality of each batter and tailoring inputs accordingly. That’s coaching with empathy. That’s coaching with context. There’s a lesson here for every corporate setup. Sometimes, the best mentors aren’t the ones who have conquered global stages, but those who have toiled in the trenches and know the system inside-out. Kotak’s rise reminds us that internal talent, when nurtured, retained, and empowered, can become the most valuable asset during transitions.

Next time you are hiring externally, ask yourself, is there a Kotak in the ranks, quietly adding value, just waiting to be trusted?”

However, his followers instantly gave his theory a reality check. While most told him to show patience before jumping to conclusions, given that it was only India’s first game in the transition phase, others highlighted the two batting collapses in the two innings, especially pointing towards the unimpressive show from the tail-end.

India’s batting collapses in Leeds

The visitors looked destined to cross the 500-run mark after centuries from Gill, Jaiswal and Pant. But in a matter of session, India crumbled from 430 for three to 471 all out. A similar story followed in the next innings, where the final six wickets went for just 31 runs.

While experts will have their go at India’s batting after the result in Leeds, the tourists do have a genuine chance at taking an early lead in the five-match series, having set a target of 371. England have 350 runs more to chase with all 10 wickets in hand.