Manav Suthar Takes 17 Wickets in Two Tests: KL Rahul Highlights Three Special Qualities of the Spinner
Galle: Twenty-four-year-old left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who hails from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan near the Pakistan border, has created a sensation in the cricket world after taking 17 wickets in his first two Tests. He made his Test debut two months ago against Afghanistan in the one-off Test, taking seven wickets in that match, before claiming 10 wickets in India’s first Test against Sri Lanka, which ended in Galle on Wednesday.
His teammate and vice-captain KL Rahul has now highlighted some of the special qualities that have made Suthar so effective.
Manav Suthar took four wickets for 76 runs in the first innings and six for 55 in the second innings of the Galle Test, finishing with 10 wickets for 131 runs.
Speaking to PTI after India’s victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test on Wednesday, Rahul said, “Manav changes the speed of the ball in such a way that a batter cannot judge the pace simply by looking at his bowling action. The biggest strength of his remarkably accurate bowling is that he cleverly varies his deliveries while maintaining almost the same bowling action. He can bowl slower deliveries as well as quicker ones with the same action. These sudden variations from an identical action confuse the batter.”
Troubles Batters by Hitting Specific Spots
Rahul also explained another important quality of Suthar’s bowling.
“When the wind was blowing consistently in one direction at the Galle ground, Manav was able to control the ball and naturally generate more pace, while his deliveries also turned more. That caused the batters to lose their wickets. He has shown this ability in India as well,” Rahul said.
“He identifies specific spots on the pitch and consistently lands the ball exactly there, which puts the batter under pressure. That is one of his biggest strengths.”
Rahul added, “Manav bowls deliveries that force a batter to move even when there is not much movement expected. He either forces the batter into an LBW situation or makes him commit a mistake that results in a catch.”
Captain Gill Also Impressed by Manav
Captain Shubman Gill also praised the young spinner, telling PTI, “Manav Suthar bowled exceptionally well. I feel he will continue to be a valuable asset for Indian cricket for a long time.”
‘I Learn from Yashasvi’: Rahul
Vice-captain KL Rahul is the most experienced player in India’s current Test team. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said, “The atmosphere in the Team India dressing room is very good. I have played only around 20-30 Tests, but there was a time when players who had already played 60-70 Tests would also openly discuss things with their teammates without any ego and would have the approach of learning something from younger players.
“I myself like to learn from new players. I ask Yashasvi Jaiswal about his sweep and reverse-sweep shots, and he shares his thoughts with me. We also keep discussing things in the dressing room, such as how to play seam and swing bowling in different situations and how to face a bowler delivering at 150 kilometres per hour.”