In the second Test, Suthar has already claimed 5 wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo. He was the pick of Indian bowlers in first innings with pacer Prasidh Krishna – both claiming 3 wickets each.
In the second innings, Suthar already has a couple of wickets – including the wicket of Lankan top-scorer Pasindu Sooriyabandara for 92. In the process, Suthar has also become the second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2026 in only 3 matches so far.
The 24-year-old left-arm spinner from Rajasthan has claimed 22 wickets in 3 Tests at an average of 16.5. He is only a couple of wickets behind New Zealand pacer Nathan Smith, who has picked up 24 wickets in 4 Tests at an average of 19.2.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner is currently in 3rd place with 22 wickets – same as England’s Josh Tongue – with averages of 22.04 and 28.5 respectively.
Bowlers with most wickets in Test cricket in 2026…
| Name | Country | Test | Wickets | Average |
| Nathan Smith | New Zealand | 4 | 24 | 19.2 |
| Manav Suthar | India | 3 | 22 | 16.5 |
| Taijul Islam | Bangladesh | 5 | 22 | 22.04 |
| Josh Tongue | England | 5 | 22 | 28.5 |
| Mohammad Abbas | Pakistan | 4 | 19 | 21.1 |
India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule was impressed by performance of Suthar so far and said it will be a good learning experience for the young cricketer.
“It is an experience for him. This is just his third Test match. He is going to face different situations, as he is going to play along and he is well prepared for that, to be very honest. He knew that they were going to charge at him. He created those opportunities, but it didn’t go in his favour in that period,” Bahutule said in the post-day press conference on Wednesday.
However, the 25-year-old came back well from the initial hammering at the hands of Lankan batters, taking two wickets while conceding just 15 runs from a six-over second spell. The wickets of Sooriyabandara and SL captain Dhananjaya de Silva turned the match decisively in favour of India in the last session of the day.
“He is definitely a learning cricketer. What I like about him is his resilience. It is fabulous. Regardless of the situation, whenever you throw the ball to him, he will give that 100 percent. He is very composed. He understands what is expected of him.
“The Lankan batters also did well against him today. In fact, they did play some good shots. But I am sure, again, the learnings from this game, he will take them forward. He will be better equipped when the same situation arises,” Bahutule said about Suthar.