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Bahutule also briefly served because the bowling coach for the India National Cricket Team right after the T20 World Cup 2024, filling a brief gap created by the delayed appointment of Morne Morkel.
Sairaj Bahutule (Credit: BCCI)
Former India cricketer Sairaj Bahutule is about to affix Rajasthan Royals as a spin bowling coach ahead of this yr’s Indian Premier League (IPL).
Bahutule, who had a stint with RR from 2018-21, had quit his position on the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which is now being called Centre of Excellence, in Bengaluru.
“Yes, I even have quit the COE as a consequence of personal/family reasons. I’m thankful to former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, BCCI, Rahul Dravid (previous head of COE) and VVS (current head of COE) for giving me the chance to work with India’s top spinners across formats,” Bahutule told TOI from Bengaluru.
He shall be working alongside bowling coach Shane Bond of Recent Zealand and head coach Rahul Dravid. He had previously worked with Dravid when the latter was in-charge of the Indian team.
“The discussions are ongoing, and I’m near finalising my involvement with the franchise. There are still a couple of details to be worked out, but I’m excited to be realigning with the Royals,” Bahutule told Cricbuzz.
The 51-year-old former Mumbai cricketer, who played in two Tests and eight ODIs for India during his six-year-long international profession, has been serving as bowling coach on the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for the last three years and, on numerous occasions previously, has served as bowling coach with former head coach Rahul Dravid and NCA head VVS Laxman.
Bahutule also briefly served because the bowling coach for the India National Cricket Team right after the T20 World Cup 2024, filling a brief gap created by the delayed appointment of Morne Morkel.
“I’m also thrilled to be reuniting with Rahul. He was the one who introduced me to the Indian team through the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in 2023 after I served because the spin bowling coach. I used to be also a part of his coaching staff in Sri Lanka, so I’m looking forward to our reunion.”
The 52-year-old has played two Tests and eight ODIs for India.
The previous Mumbai spinner focused on grassroots development, providing beneficial guidance and support to quite a few young players on the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence.
(with agency inputs)
