The four-day second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A turned out to be a big match for young slow left-arm spinner Manav Suthar from Rajasthan as he not only emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series, but also helped India win the two-match series.
Suthar, who took five wickets during an Under-19 encounter against Afghanistan side here in Lucknow a few years ago, finished with 8/157 with 5/107 being his best in the first innings in the second match of the series that India A won by five wickets here on Friday.
“It was like a dream come true when I completed my 100 first class wickets in the match. Before the match, I had 95 wickets in my 23 matches and I am happy that I could help my team win,” said Suthar after the match. The 23-year-old didn’t play in the first match which ended in a draw.
The bowler, who hails from Sri Ganganagar, said he didn’t do anything special in the match, but just followed the process. “I always want to contribute as much as I can for my team. I want to work hard behind the scenes,” he said, adding, “I follow R. Ashwin a lot and I followed him from the start learning from his variations on different wickets.”
He also said that he learnt many things in the company of top cricketers like KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel etc during the match. “Everyone was too good to me and helpful too. Rahul Bhai and Jurel Bhai kept me motivated throughout the match so I stayed focused on my game plan,” said Suthar.
However, Australia A’s all-rounder Todd Murphy said the two-match series was quite a learning experience for him. “It was a little bit warm. We did create a lot of chances and probably just off the back of our own work, we let ourselves down a little bit by not taking them,” said Murphy on Friday as he finished with a knock of 76 and five wickets in the second match.
“It was a tough grind. Rahul and Sudharsan batted really well, but I thought we stuck at it pretty well and got us rid of a couple of missed opportunities,” he said, adding, “I think from the first game to this game, it was sort of a nice contrast. The first game was sort of quite batting friendly and a lot of runs were scored, and I think as this game went on with the heat and the sun on the wicket, it deteriorated quite nicely.”
“Pace bowlers got a few wickets in the first innings and then spin sort of came into the game a bit later and you could still see by the end there, guys that applied themselves with the back could still make big runs,” he added.