New Delhi:The left-arm spinner, who bowls the balls with insane precision, is also an all-rounder. Manav Suthar grabbed the limelight with a stellar Test debut in the one-off match between India and Afghanistan in Mullanpur. Rajasthan all-rounder, Suthar, became a talking point after his six-wicket haul in the first innings of the fixture.
Not just because he scalped six wickets and became the only 10th Indian and seventh spinner to have achieved a fifer on Test debut, but because of his control, spin and precision, his name has been on everyone’s lips. Former India cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar was among the experts showering praise on the rising star after his 6/33 in the first innings.
Gavaskar lauded the accuracy of the left-arm spinner who ripped the visitors’ batting line-up apart in the first innings, bowling them out for a mere 152. "People say a spin bowler is successful in India because he gets help from the wicket. The conditions are good for him. But I would say, here against Afghanistan, take the pitch out of the equation. Bowling is about skill and control. And that's what this young man (Manav Suthar) showed," said Gavaskar on JioStar.
Manav Suthar has a simple repeatable action. This gives him a lot of precision. He knows the exact spot each ball will hit. That sort of control is unusual. If you have drift and can consistently land the ball in the right spot, you do not need a turning track to take wickets. “Suthar outsmarted the Afghanistan batters not with sharp turn but with flight, dip and precision,” he further said.
Manav is quite handy with the bat as well, not just the ball. In the only innings India batted, he scored 28 off 41 balls, hitting two fours and as many sixes. He has scored a first-class century and six half centuries in the format. Manav has an average of 25.60 in FC which is not a bad score for a rising bowling all-rounder.
Jadeja's spot under threat?Suthar’s bowling style opens doors for India in future. This was the first home Test without the presence of or Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin has retired. Jadeja was rested. There was no Axar Patel either.
Jadeja and Axar are also not in the ODI squad for the Afghanistan series, apart from the Tests. While announcing India’s squads for these two series, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said Jadeja is an integral part of the Test side and his exclusion from the ODIs is because India want to try other options.
“He (Jadeja) is still a very important part of the team,” Agarkar told the media while naming India’s squads. "We've got 15-16 months to go in terms of ODIs, so we want to try and see what our options are, given the conditions in South Africa. "We know what Jadeja and Axar can do. He’s still the top spinner for test cricket.”
Now 37, Jadeja is approaching the twilight of his career. The chief selector has said he is still the No.1 spinner in the Tests but it is understood India are looking ahead and want to find options in the post-Jadeja era. " One obvious one is Axar but they need more, especially after Ashwin’s retirement.
And Manav has proved that he can be trusted with the skills that he has in the long run. He has the drift, turn, speed and accuracy to worry the batters. “And that’s what he showed in the Afghanistan Test. He faces tough challenges when India travel to Sri Lanka in August for a two-match Test series and even sterner ones against New Zealand (away) and Australia (home) but he has shown he has the pedigree to be successful on the biggest stage.
When Jadeja's turn comes, Manav could be the one to take the baton along with Axar. And that may not be far off now.
ALSO READ |