• Source:JND

Former India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule has been appointed as the spin-bowling coach of the Indian men’s cricket team ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, which will be played from June 6 to 10.

The 53-year-old joins the national setup after working with Punjab Kings during IPL 2026 as the team’s spin-bowling coach. He will now be responsible for guiding India’s spinners across all formats.

Bahutule's coaching career

Bahutule brings a wealth of coaching experience to the role. He has previously worked with domestic teams such as Kerala and Bengal and was also part of Rajasthan Royals’ coaching staff from 2018 to 2021. Later, he joined the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where he worked closely with India A teams and was involved with the senior men’s side during several assignments under former head coach Rahul Dravid.

He returned to Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2025 season before moving to Punjab Kings in 2026.

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Bahutule's cricketing career


As a player, Bahutule represented India between 1997 and 2003. He played two Test matches and eight ODIs for the country. While his international career was brief, he enjoyed a remarkable domestic career that lasted nearly 20 years. He picked up 630 wickets in 188 first-class matches and added another 197 wickets in 143 List A games.

In the Indian team setup, Bahutule will work alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, fast-bowling coach Morne Morkel, fielding coach T Dilip and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.

India's performance in Tests

India currently sit sixth in the ongoing World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins, four losses and one draw from nine matches.

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The team has also struggled in home Test cricket recently. India suffered a 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand in 2024 and then lost 2-0 to South Africa in 2025.

The upcoming Afghanistan Test will be India’s first red-ball match of the year and will begin less than a week after the end of IPL 2026. After the Test, the two teams will face each other in a three-match ODI series from June 14 to June 20.

Shubman Gill will lead India in both formats. KL Rahul has been named vice-captain for the Test side, replacing Rishabh Pant in the role, while Shreyas Iyer will serve as vice-captain in the ODI team.


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