Gautam Gambhir’s coaching unit is getting a new arm for young spinners

Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s backroom staff has received a major addition with the Board of Control for Cricket in India appointing home stalwart Sairaj Bahutule as the spin-bowling coach of the senior men’s national team. The development comes at a turbulent time for India’s Test fortunes, with the team facing intense pressure after successive, an unprecedented home whitewash against New Zealand and South Africa in the last two years.

The two-series defeats exposed a glaring vulnerability in India’s traditional stronghold as the visiting spinners consistently overpowered the home contingent on the subcontinental tracks. with the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin has now retired and fellow veteran Ravindra Jadeja rested to handle his workload, the Indian team management is forced to accelerate its transition plan. India face an uphill battle in the remainder of the current cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, requiring seven wins from the remaining matches to secure a place in the finals.

As a result, the focus shifts directly to the next generation of spin stocks. Young slow bowlers Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey are expected to spearhead the spin department in the upcoming assignments. Bahutule, who represented India in two Tests and eight One-Day Internationals during an outstanding playing career that saw 630 first-class wickets, was brought in specially to mentor this raw transition group.

Bahutule has already joined the Test squad which has started training for the one-off Test against Afghanistan from June 6 in New Chandigarh on Tuesday.

RICH CV

The 53-year-old former leg-spinner comes with an extensive coaching pedigree across domestic, uniform and franchise cricket. Bahutule has previously served as head coach of major state teams including Vidarbha, Kerala, Gujarat and Bengal, along with stints in the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings.

Crucially, his knowledge of the upcoming batch of players stems from his recent roles in the BCCI structure. He was the bowling coach during India’s 2022 Under-19 World Cup winning campaign and remained with the squad for the 2024 edition. Additionally, his stint at the National Cricket Academy, recently renamed the Center of Excellence, from 2021 to 2024 included extensive handling of the India A and shadow squads.

“It is a huge honor to be appointed as the spin bowling coach of the Indian men’s cricket team,” Bahutule said in an official statement.

“Representing India as a player has been a matter of immense pride and the opportunity to once again contribute to Indian cricket as a coach is deeply special. I look forward to working with the players and supporting the team in their pursuit of excellence across formats.”

Bahutule’s primary mandate will be to reconstruct India’s home advantage and ensure that the young spin trio can replicate the tactical control and drift that defined previous decades.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

02 Jun 2026 19:13 IST