Rajasthan Spinner Manav Suthar Takes A Wicket In The First Over Of His Second Consecutive Test
Sri Lanka Collapse: Four Wickets Down for Just 59 Runs
Galle: In the first Test being played amid repeated interruptions due to rain, India’s first innings ended at 462 on the third day, after which the hosts suffered a major collapse, losing four wickets for just 59 runs.
Siraj Strikes with the Second Ball
Mohammed Siraj made an immediate impact, taking a wicket with the second ball of Sri Lanka’s innings. He dismissed opener Nishan Fernando, but what happened a short while later was even more astonishing.
Manav Suthar Strikes Again
The 24-year-old left-arm spinner from Rajasthan, Manav Suthar, took a wicket in the very first over for the second consecutive Test of his career. Even more remarkably, with the very first ball of his second Test, he dismissed experienced wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Chandimal, who has played 319 international matches. Chandimal was dismissed for just five runs.
How Did Manav Trap Chandimal?
Sri Lanka were already under pressure after losing a wicket in the very first over. Their score was 27 for one when captain Shubman Gill handed Manav Suthar the responsibility of bowling the eighth over after trying Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
The Sri Lankan batters were not fully familiar with Suthar’s spin-bowling skills. He is particularly effective with flighted deliveries, using drift and sharp turn to trouble batters, and he produced exactly that against Chandimal.
After pitching, the ball turned sharply and also bounced considerably. It took the top edge or possibly the glove of Chandimal and went behind the stumps, where Rishabh Pant made no mistake in completing the catch.
Manav Gets Udara Caught by Yashasvi
Manav Suthar struck again after a short while, dismissing opener Lahiru Udara for 27. Udara was caught at backward point by Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Kuldeep Yadav Joins the Party
As if that was not enough, spinner Kuldeep Yadav soon made his presence felt as well. He dismissed Kamindu Mendis for 14, who was caught at extra cover by Shubman Gill.
After Sri Lanka’s two successful spinners impressed earlier in the match, India’s spinners have now shown their class as well.
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