Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who starred in India’s crushing victory against Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test in Mullanpur on Monday, said that his first Test appearance taught him that consistency and patience are the biggest characteristics in the longest format.
Suthar, who was named Player of the Match for his seven wickets, claimed that his success on a surface that gave the spinners much of help came from consistently hitting the same spots.
“The biggest lesson is that consistency is everything. You have to keep bowling in the same area over and over again. I think that’s the most important thing in Test cricket. It’s a format that demands a lot of patience. That’s what I’ve learned, keep being patient, stick to your plans and keep hitting the right areas consistently,” PTI quoted Suthar as saying at the presentation ceremony.
The 23-year-old left-arm spinner claimed that it felt surreal to play Test cricket for India.
“It was a very unreal feeling. It has been my dream from the very beginning to play for India and to play Test cricket. So it was an incredible moment for me and honestly felt quite unreal.”
According to Suthar, batting before bowling made it easier for him to comprehend the characteristics of the wicket, which improved his bowling strategies.
“Even when I went out to bat, I felt quite comfortable. As I settled in and faced a few deliveries, I realised there was a bit of assistance for the spinners on the wicket. Then, when I came on to bowl and delivered my first over, I got the same feeling. After that, my only focus was to keep using the right line, length and pace.”
The spinner claimed that before making minor adjustments, he deliberately relied on his stock ball during the first phase.
“Initially, my focus was on understanding how the wicket was playing. That’s why I wanted to rely on my stock delivery as much as possible. Once I understood that the wicket was a little slow and required some variation in pace, I started making those adjustments. But the main idea was always to make my stock ball as effective as possible.”
Additionally, Suthar took delight in being given the second new ball during the game.
“It’s a matter of great pride. Being trusted with that responsibility means a lot.”
Shubman Gill, the captain of India, characterized the outcome as a total team effort.
“A complete win, ticked all the boxes, so very happy. It was very hot. We decided that if we bowl them out by lunch or around the first drinks break in the second innings we will ask them to bat again. For the spinners it was more about getting the experience of how to set up the batters. When you are batting first try to post 350+ no matter where you are batting,” Gill said, adding that India’s aim was always to post a score in excess of 350 in the first innings.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted that his team was outclassed and gave Suthar credit for upholding strict discipline.
“It was a tough day, a tough game for us, and right from the start, from the beginning, our discipline in the bowling was not that good. The reality is that we don’t have that experience in this format. We learned a lot from this game because we don’t get enough opportunities to play Test cricket. but everybody knows that India is a tough team playing in their own conditions.”
“But a lot of lessons to us and hopefully that we learn from this and hopefully that we play and we learn to play under pressure as we win the things get tougher,” he added.
Talking about Suthar, Shahidi said, “He bowled really well. He bowled stump to stump and was really disciplined in his bowling. That’s why we struggled against him.”
