As the Indian cricket team prepares to take the field for the upcoming one-off Test match against Afghanistan, the BCCI selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir have made a bold move by adding a new member to their already star-studded coaching staff.
After the conclusion of the IPL 2026 last Sunday, Shubman Gill and co. will be raring to get back in India colors, with Gambhir also now at the fore with the national side after a rest of over two months following the title triumph at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in March.
IND vs AFG: When and where is the India vs Afghanistan Test match?
The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to kick off on June 6, Saturday, in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
Who is India new spin bowling coach?
Former India and Mumbai leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule has been appointed as the spin bowling coach of the Indian cricket team ahead of the one-off Test match against Afghanistan.
With India losing home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa in the last two years, where the Indian spinners were out-bowled by the opposition spinners, the BCCI considered it a necessary step to add a specialist spin bowling coach to the setup.
The 53-year-old Bahutule recently was the spin bowling coach of Punjab Kings in IPL 2026.
“A former India international and a domestic stalwart, Mr Bahutule brings with him a wealth of experience as both a player and a coach. Over the years, he has built a strong reputation for nurturing and developing spin-bowling talent across domestic and franchise cricket,” the BCCI said in its release.
Bahutule, who played two Tests and 8 ODIs for India between 1997 and 2003, had previously worked with Vidarbha, Kerala, Gujarat, and Bengal’s domestic teams and also with the Rajasthan Royals from 2018 to 2021.
He then joined the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and was the bowling coach of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning teams in 2022 and 2024.
Bahutule has experience in working with the Indian men’s team in the past on an interim basis.
While Bahutule’s international career was short-lived, he had an extensive domestic career spanning two decades. In 188 first-class matches, he claimed 630 wickets and another 197 wickets in 143 List-A games.
The current Indian cricket team’s coaching staff includes head coach Gautam Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, fast bowling coach Morne Morkel, fielding coach T. Dilip, and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, with Bahutule, the new spin bowling coach, completing the setup.
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