In this article, I will discuss who Hrishikesh Hemant Kanitkar is, the head coach of India A for the England tour. Kanitkar, a former Indian cricketer and experienced coach, has been entrusted with guiding the India A squad on this important tour, playing a vital role in developing young talent for the future of Indian cricket.
About Hrishikesh Hemant Kanitkar
Born on November 14, 1974, in Pune, Maharashtra, Hrishikesh Hemant Kanitkar is an established name in Indian cricket history. Along with being a left-handed batsman, Kanitkar also bowled right-arm offbreak. Hrishikesh’s father, Hemant Kanitkar, who is also a deceased Indian Test cricketer, was a left-handed batsman.
Kanitkar played 2 Tests and 34 One Day Internationals in his 3-year long international career that lasted from 1997 to 2000. His most remarkable achievement was hitting a four to Pakistan in the 1998 independence cup final in Dhaka.
Kanitkar had a successful domestic career while playing as a first-class cricketer. Kanitkar was a part of 146 first-class matches, scoring over 10,000 runs with an average of over 52 runs per game.
Midway his career, he was able to lead the state of Rajasthan to win their first Ranji Trophy title during the 2010-11 season. His achievement of scoring 28 centuries in Ranji Trophy out of which 28 are considered to be one of highest in history of the tournament.
For Kanitkar, 2015 marked the year he transitioned into a coaching role. He was the batting coach of the Indian women’s national team and later took over the head coach position in 2025 for the India A team during their tour to England. Additionally, he served as a coach for Goa and Tamil Nadu’s domestic teams.
Basic Information
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Hrishikesh Hemant Kanitkar |
| Date of Birth | November 14, 1974 |
| Place of Birth | Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Age | 50 years (as of May 31, 2025) |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm offbreak |
| Playing Role | All-rounder |
| Father | Hemant Kanitkar (former Indian Test cricketer) |
| International Career | 1997–2000 |
| Test Debut | December 26, 1999 vs. Australia |
| Last Test | January 2, 2000 vs. Australia |
| ODI Debut | December 7, 1997 vs. Sri Lanka |
| Last ODI | January 30, 2000 vs. Australia |
| Test Matches Played | 2 |
| ODI Matches Played | 34 |
| Test Runs | 74 (Average: 18.50) |
| ODI Runs | 339 (Average: 17.84) |
| First-Class Matches | 146 |
| First-Class Runs | 10,400 (Average: 52.26) |
| First-Class Centuries | 33 |
| First-Class Wickets | 74 |
| Domestic Teams | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Coaching Roles | Goa (2015–16), Tamil Nadu (2016–2019), India Women’s Batting Coach (2022), India A Head Coach (2025) |
| Notable Achievement | Hit the winning boundary in the 1998 Independence Cup final against Pakistan |
Early Life and Playing Career
Hrishikesh Kanitkar is a former Indian cricketer, born on November 14, 1974, in Pune, Maharashtra who played for India as a left-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. He participated in 2 Test matches and 34 One Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1997 to the year 2000.
In Test Cricket, Kanitkar made his debut on 26th December 1999 against Australia in Melbourne. He scored 74 runs in his brief Test career where his high score was 45. Kanitkar’s ODI debut came on December 7, 1997 against Sri Lanka where he also smashed the winning boundary on Saqlain Mushtaq’s bowling in 1998’s Independence Cup final against Pakistan. He had a total of 339 runs in ODIs out of which his highest score was 57 runs.
Kanitkar had an illustrious Domestic career as well where he played 146 first class matches and scored over 10,000 runs with a batting average of more than 52.
He captained the Rajasthan team to back to back wins in the Ranji Trophy in 2010-11 and 2011-12 making him the first captain in the history of the tournament to win the Elite and Plate league titles. He holds the record of scoring 28 centuries in the Ranji trophy which is one of the highest numbers of centuries in the history of that tournament.
He served as the batting coach for the Indian women’s national team before taking up the head coach position for India A in 2025, during the team’s tour of England. Following his retirement in 2015, Kanitkar moved into coaching, accepting positions with the domestic teams of Goa and Tamil Nadu.
Transition to Coaching
In the year 2015, Kanitkar retired from professional cricket and transitioned into coaching almost effortlessly. Primarily, he took up the position of the head coach of the Goa cricket team for the 2015-2016 Ranji Trophy season.
Later on, he became the coach of the Tamil Nadu team from 2016-2019 and managed to turn the team into formidable competitors.
His expertise in coaching also extended to the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he was a part of the Rising Pune Supergiants franchise, taking on the role of an assistant coach in the 2016 season.
Roles with National Teams
Kanitkar’s accomplishments are now recognized at the national level. In December 2022, he was appointed the batting coach of the Indian women’s cricket team and later served as the head coach during the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in February 2023. The team showed marked improvement in their batting performance.
Kanitkar has also been associated with the India Under 19 team, thus working with young wingers to nurture them in addition to his duties with the women’s team.
Appointment as India A Head Coach
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently appointed Kanitkar as the head coach of the India A team for the upcoming tour of England.
This shows the growing importance he is being given to influence the course of Indian cricket. Alongside him will be Rajib Dutta as the bowling coach and Joydeep Bhattacharya as the fielding coach.
Kanitkar’s background having played and coached at various levels makes him an ideal candidate to lead the India A team which is a vital team for the players looking to represent the senior national team. His appointment is expected to help provide bridges to be built for the development of talent to the international cricketing arena.
Outlook
When the India A side goes on tour to England, there is a great expectation that Kanitkar will use his experience to aid in the development of the younger Indian cricketers.
Looking at his track record, he is likely to have a fruitful spell for Indian cricket considering the soaring possibilities with the already established framework around Indian cricket.
Conclusion
Kanitkar will continue to helm India A as head coach for the upcoming England tour in 2025. He is an established Indian cricketer who also worked as a coach.
During his playing career, Kanitkar earned accolades as a robust batsman, and claims to have developed an equally menacing reputation as a cricket coach in the years that followed.
Under his direction, it is expected that the developmental squad’s important talent pipeline will be further optimized in order to enhance Indo cricket’s future.
