India all-rounder Washington Sundar believes debutant spinner Manav Suthar has all the ingredients to become a major force in Indian Test cricket after the left-armer starred on his maiden appearance against Afghanistan. Sundar said Suthar’s skill set and work ethic have been evident for years and predicted that the youngster would go on to win plenty of matches for India.
Suthar was one of the standout performers for India on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur, picking up three wickets and helping the hosts tighten their grip on the contest. The Rajasthan spinner justified the faith shown in him by the selectors with a confident display on a surface that offered increasing assistance to slow bowlers.
IND vs AFG, ONLY TEST DAY 2: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Speaking at the post-Day 2 press conference, Washington was full of praise for his spin-bowling teammate and highlighted the qualities that have made Suthar one of the most highly-rated young spinners in the domestic circuit.
“He (Suthar) has been brilliant. We as players who have been playing with him in the last few years know what he can actually bring to the table, especially in this format,” Sundar expressed enthusiastically.
“The amount of skills he’s got and the way he’s sort of worked on them over the years is a genuine treat to watch. For him to bring out his best skill sets, especially on Day 2, is amazing…He’s got great skill sets as a genuine spinner. In terms of how much he can actually spin the ball and how many revs he can actually bring on the ball—that has always been a strength. Every time he gets into his load-up and releases the ball, he gives all of his energy into the ball. That’s an amazing skill as well as an attitude to bring to every single delivery,”
For much of the last decade, India’s legendary spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja held an absolute monopoly over the Test match department. However, with the national selectors resting major veterans for this series, Suthar’s seamless integration alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar proves that the next generation of Indian slow bowlers is entirely ready to shoulder international responsibilities.
HOW WAS MANAV SUTHAR’S INDIA TEST DEBUT?
Manav Suthar’s introduction to Test cricket could not have been scripted any more perfectly. Brought into the bowling attack as early as the sixth over of the innings, the Rajasthan spinner struck gold with his very first delivery in international cricket by tempting Afghan opener Abdul Malik into a top-edged sweep that landed safely in Indian hands.
The youngster did not stop there, continuing to make the most of the turn offered by the New Chandigarh surface to completely outclass the opposition batters. In the 20th over, Suthar extracted beautiful drift and a sharp outside edge from the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz, before adding Afsar Zazai to his tally later in the evening to finish a spectacular Day 2 with brilliant figures of 3/21 from his 15.5 overs.
INDIA BOAST UPPER HAND OVER AFGHANISTAN
By the close of play on Day 2, the host nation had put themselves in an absolutely unassailable position to force a decisive victory. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, India accumulated a massive first-innings total of 564/8 before declaring, courtesy of spectacular centuries from captain Shubman Gill (126) and vice-captain KL Rahul (100), backed by resilient half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (81), Rishabh Pant (81), and Washington Sundar (52*).
In response, Afghanistan’s batting lineup crumbled heavily under the intense pressure of India’s multi-pronged spin attack on a rapidly deteriorating surface. The visitors finished the second day staggering at 113/5 after 39.5 overs, still trailing by a mountain of 451 runs. While Rahmat Shah (43*) holds the fort for the visitors, Suthar and the rest of the Indian bowling unit will be looking to trigger a swift wrap-up on Day 3.
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