Anubhav Katheria
Former Indian leg spinner Sairaj Bahutule will join team India’s
coaching staff for the Sri Lanka tour as an interim bowling coach.
Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed head coach wanted Morne Morkel as
the bowling coach but Morkel was unable to travel to Sri Lanka with
the Indian team. It is now confirmed that in the absence of Morkel,
Sairaj Bahutule joined Abhishek Nayyar, Ryan ten Doeschate and T Dilip
in Gambhir’s support staff for 6 white ball matches (3 T20 and 3
ODIs).
Who is Sairaj Bahutule?
In his playing career he took 13-wickets match haul in Irani Trophy,
which led him to be called in the Indian team in 1997 and in 2000 an
injury to Anil Kumble enabled him to be called for a test match
against Australia. Sairaj Bahutule was part of the Indian team in two
tests and 8 ODIs where he took 5 wickets during his 6 year long
career. In first-class cricket he has played 188 games in which he has
630 wickets and 6176 runs by his name. Bahutule was with the Indian
team last year for the home series against Sri Lanka.
In addition to his coaching experience, he was the spin bowling coach
of Rajasthan Royals and has coached Bengal and Kerala in domestic
cricket during 2014-15, he had also coached Gujrat and Vidarbha. He
was the bowling coach of India A when they toured South Africa in
2021. Later, he was appointed by the NCA as Spin bowling coach and has
been doing that duty since then.
Sairaj Bahutule has been a part of National Cricket Academy (NCA) for
the past 3 years, he was also part of the support staff with India A
and Indian team along with Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.
The choice of Bahutule as the interim Indian bowling coach is quite
sensible since the 51-year-old cricketer has done a brilliant job with
the Indian young spin bowlers and in Sri Lankan pitch his presence
would be beneficial for Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi
and Kuldeep Yadav.
Morne Morkel who is currently in South Africa to attend his unwell
father may join the Indian support staff ahead for the home series
against Bangladesh in September-October, the home series against
Bangladesh includes 2 Tests and 3T20Is.
