The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Sairaj Bahutule as the spin bowling coach of the senior men's team. Bahutule, a former India international and domestic stalwart, has extensive experience both as a player and a coach. He was recently with the Punjab Kings in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). Over the years, Bahutule has built a strong reputation for himself by developing spin-bowling talent across domestic and franchise cricket.
Bahutule played two Tests and eight ODIs for India and enjoyed a distinguished first-class career spanning nearly two decades. In domestic cricket, he scored 6176 runs and claimed 630 wickets, establishing himself as one of the game's finest all-round contributors.
“It is a tremendous honour to be appointed as the Spin Bowling Coach of the Indian Men's Cricket Team. Representing India as a player was a matter of immense pride, and the opportunity to contribute to Indian Cricket once again in a coaching capacity is deeply special,” Bahutule said in an official release issued by the BCCI.
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“I look forward to working with the players and supporting the team's pursuit of excellence across formats,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“I look forward to working with the players and supporting the team's pursuit of excellence across formats,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Following the conclusion of his playing career, Bahutule cemented his place as one of the most respected coaches in Indian cricket. His coaching journey has spanned domestic, pathway and international cricket, including tenures as head coach of Vidarbha, Kerala, Gujarat and Bengal. He has also served as a spin-bowling coach with IPL franchises Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings.
A key contributor to India's player development pathway, he was also the bowling coach of India's ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup-winning team in 2022 and was part of the coaching staff for the 2024 edition of the tournament.
He has also worked extensively with India A and the senior men's team as a specialist bowling coach on multiple assignments and was a key member of the coaching setup at the BCCI's National Cricket Academy (now Centre of Excellence) from 2021 to 2024.
Bahutale joins Team India in Mullanpur
Bahutule has already linked up with the team in Mullanpur ahead of the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, beginning Saturday, June 6.
Team India had its first practice session on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Test. Bahutule now joins Gautam Gambhir (head coach), Sitanshu Kotak (batting coach), Ryan ten Doeschate (assistant coach) and Morne Morkel (bowling coach) in India's backroom staff.
India’s Test Squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)