Photo via Hindustan Times

630 wickets, just 2 Tests and years in Kumble-Bhajji’s shadow: The spinner who found redemption with Asian Games gold

Long before transitioning to coaching, Sairaj Bahutule endured one of cricket's most grueling experiences in February 1988 at Mumbai's Azad Maidan, bowling for St. Xavier's High School while Shardashram Vidyamandir's Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli compiled an unbroken 664-run stand.

Rather than letting the ordeal derail him, the leg-spinning all-rounder established himself as a cornerstone of Mumbai's domestic dominance across an 18-season span that also included stints with Vidarbha and Assam. In 188 first-class appearances, he accumulated 630 wickets alongside 27 five-wicket hauls, while simultaneously bolstering batting orders with more than 6,100 runs, nine centuries, and multiple Ranji Trophy championships.

Despite those prolific domestic returns, international recognition proved elusive because Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh firmly controlled India's spin slots while taking over 1,000 Test wickets in tandem. Bahutule was consequently limited to just two Tests and eight ODIs from 1997 through 2003.