The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly all set to announce the appointment of Sunil Joshi as the new bowling coach at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. According to a Times of India report, the 55-year-old Joshi, who represented India in 84 matches during his playing career, is scheduled to take charge from October 1.
"Multiple candidates were interviewed for the position earlier this year. But Joshi, with his wealth of coaching experience, pipped the likes of Rakesh Dhruv and Nooshin Al Khadeer, the current India U-19 women's team coach," TOI report read.
This date is just one day before the start of the India vs West Indies Test series in Ahmedabad. Joshi brings recent experience, having been involved in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy and traveling with the India A team for their first-class matches against Australia A in Lucknow. Joshi, a former left-arm spinner, will be replacing Sairaj Bahutale, who vacated the position to become the spin bowling coach for the Rajasthan Royals.
Sunil Joshi brings a good volume of coaching experience to his new role. On the franchise level, he was the bowling coach for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the 2023 to 2025 seasons. His domestic coaching résumé includes stints with Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, and Hyderabad. Internationally, Joshi has worked with the national teams of Bangladesh, the USA, and Oman.
The BCCI sought a candidate capable of working on the development and performance enhancement across all age groups and for both male and female cricketers. They ultimately felt Joshi was the ideal fit for these comprehensive requirements, which led to his selection over other strong candidates like Rakesh Dhruv and Nooshin Al Khadeer (the current India U-19 women's team coach). Although not related to his coaching appointment, Joshi also served as the chairman of selectors for the Indian national team from March 4, 2020, to November 2022.
In his new position, Joshi will collaborate closely with CoE head VVS Laxman, his former India teammate. His primary task will be to aid Laxman in identifying and nurturing up-and-coming spinners. Beyond this development work, Joshi will also work with the current spinners who are part of India's national team and those who come to the CoE for training and rehabilitation.