2 min readJun 9, 2026 01:10 PM IST
Manav Suthar bowled a stunning spell against Afghanistan on his debut in the only Test match of the series at Mullanpur. The left-arm spinner turned the ball on a surface where not a lot of spinners were getting help imparting revolutions on the ball. He picked up seven wickets in the match and was awarded the Man of the Match for his efforts. Former England spinner Greame Swann lauded the youngster and said he is ready to take the baton from Ravindra Jadeja.
“The instinct of coming in and bowling so well, he doesn’t bat as well as Jadeja, maybe, but he can bat, and he has got a first-class hundred, it starts to throw up these really interesting selection issues, and he is definitely one for the future,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said on Star Sports he said.
“When Jadeja decides that it’s time, he just walks into the team as the left-arm spinner. Just like (Vaibhav) Suryavanshi in the one-day game, you think, should he be in on merit anyway, because that performance was one of a world-class spinner? It wasn’t just a guy playing his first Test. Just trust me on that, he is born to play Test cricket,” he added.
“It was a very unreal feeling. It has been my dream from the very beginning to play for India and to play Test cricket. So it was an incredible moment for me and honestly felt quite unreal,” Suthar told the broadcasters after his spell.
“Initially, my focus was on understanding how the wicket was playing. That’s why I wanted to rely on my stock delivery as much as possible. Once I understood that the wicket was a little slow and required some variation in pace, I started making those adjustments. But the main idea was always to make my stock ball as effective as possible,” Suthar added.
“It’s a format that demands a lot of patience. That’s what I’ve learned – keep being patient, stick to your plans and keep hitting the right areas consistently,” Suthar concluded.
