Sairaj Bahutule

Sairaj Bahutule is a former Indian cricketer. He was a talented leg-spinner and a handy batter who is a Mumbai veteran of all sorts but could represent his country for just 2 Tests and 8 ODIs as his career collided with Anil Kumble. 

He was a very popular name in Mumbai cricket as the leg-spinner was part of the iconic Harris Shield game and later played domestic cricket with Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. 

Bahutule debuted during the First-Class season in 1991-92 and became an integral asset for his state team, but it wasn’t enough to grab a seat in the Indian team. However, a standout performance during the Irani Trophy of 1997 opened the gates for Bahutule as he took 13 wickets in the game and got selected for the ODI against Sri Lanka. 

The Mumbai-based leggie also replaced an injured Kumble during the historic Australian series of 2001, but couldn’t perform any wonders. After a poor run, Bahutule played his last game for India in 2003. Two years later, the leggie shifted to Pune to grab 54 wickets at 28.22 in 2005 and returned to Mumbai in 2008 to be part of the Ranji Trophy-winning side. 

Bahutule then migrated to Vidarbha during the last year of his career as he retired from the game in 2013. The following year, he donned the coaching boots and was appointed as the coach of Kerala, before joining Rajasthan Royals in 2018. 

(As of May 2021)