Image: Social media reacts as Manav Suthar shines on debut as India registers a record Test victory / © NDTV Sports
After the one-off Test against Afghanistan, Manav Suthar could hardly have asked for a better start to his international career. The young spinner from Rajasthan walked into the Indian team for the first time and left the ground with a Player of the Match award and memories that will stay with him forever. India crushed Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in New Chandigarh, recording the biggest Test win in their history. Suthar was one of the main reasons behind that result.
He grabbed 6 wickets for 33 runs in the first innings and finished with 7 wickets in the match. He also added 28 runs with the bat as India built a huge first-innings total. Speaking after the match, Suthar said wearing the India cap and playing Test cricket felt almost unbelievable. He explained that once he spent a little time in the middle as a batter, he realised the surface was offering help to the spinners. When it was his turn to bowl, he focused on keeping things simple rather than trying anything special.
The left-arm spinner said he initially relied heavily on his stock delivery while trying to understand the pitch. Later, after noticing the wicket was on the slower side, he varied his pace to make life more difficult for the batters. Another moment he enjoyed was being asked to take the new ball in Afghanistan’s second innings. For Suthar, the match reinforced a simple lesson: success in Test cricket comes from patience, discipline and repeatedly hitting the right areas over long spells.