Manav Suthar became the star of his very first matchImage Credit source: PTI
Manav Suthar Bowling: The only test match played between India and Afghanistan ended in the same manner as was expected. Team India, captained by Shubman Gill, won the match by a margin of innings and 300 runs within 3 days. The highlight of this match was spinner Manav Suthar, who made his debut and took 6 wickets in the first innings and won the Player of the Match award. With this performance, Suthar has strengthened his claim but has made the path difficult for some other players. These are- Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel.
Suthar’s answer to those who raised questions
Jadeja and Patel were not selected for this match against Afghanistan. While there was talk of giving rest to Jadeja, there was no such discussion regarding Akshar. In such a situation it was clear that he was dropped from the Test team. In return for human improvement And Harsh Dubey was included in the squad. Both these left-handed and 23-year-old spin all-rounders were contenders to debut but Rajasthan’s Suthar got the chance.
When Suthar was given his debut cap just before the toss on June 6, questions were raised as to why he was given the chance instead of Harsh Dubey? One reason for this was Dubey’s slightly better performance in first class compared to Suthar. But when Suthar came out for bowling for the first time on June 7, within his first 4 balls he showed how capable he was. Then he answered every question by taking 6 wickets in the first innings of Afghanistan.
Challenge for Jadeja-Akshar
Suthar took 7 wickets in this match and got the Player of the Match award. This has strengthened his chances of playing in the Test series on Sri Lanka tour. But at the same time questions have been raised on the careers of Jadeja and Patel. The real competition has now come for 37-year-old Jadeja, the team’s senior and most experienced spinner. However, it is possible that this veteran who has played 89 Test matches may get a chance in Sri Lanka.
But for Akshar, the doors of the team now seem almost closed. It is not that Akshar has not performed well but in 15 tests he has taken 57 wickets at an average of 19.66. But the left-arm spinner, who played 12 Tests from his debut in 2021 to 2023, has played only 3 Tests from 2024 till now. This means that there is no room for him in the team and now with the arrival of Suthar (and Harsh Dubey) it is more difficult than before.
What is different and special in Suthar’s bowling?
But is there anything in Manav Suthar’s bowling that makes him different and more effective than Jadeja and Akshar? The answer to this lies in his bowling of the first over or the first innings. Actually all three are the same type of bowlers – left arm finger spinners. But what makes Suthar different from Jadeja and Akshar is his ability to swing the ball. Suthar bowled his first over in the first innings, his first 3 balls turned sharply after hitting the middle stump and came out. The Afghan batsman got upset by this and gave away the wicket on the next ball.
But not just turn but rotating the ball with speed makes Suthar more lethal. Among all the spinners bowled by both the teams in the first innings, Suthar had the highest average speed at 90 kilometers per hour. But along with this, his balls were also getting a turn of up to 5.6 degrees, which was much more than the others, whereas the Mullanpur pitch was excellent for batting on the second day of the match. This is what makes him different from the two senior bowlers.
Will Team India return now?
Jadeja and Akshar also bowl at a fast pace and can bowl continuously at the same spot, but they are not able to spin the ball that much at that speed and from that same spot. Generally both the balls come out straight or they come out rustling, due to which the batsmen do not get time and they give wickets. But where there is no help in the pitch, both struggle. If Suthar’s first match is any indication then it doesn’t look like he will have such problems.
