A Crucial Breakthrough Before the Tea Interval
It was the final over before the tea break on the second day of the one-off Test match between India and Afghanistan in New Chandigarh. India had recently declared their massive first innings at 564 for 8, and in response, Afghanistan’s openers had progressed comfortably to 28 for no loss within five overs. Test cricket, however, has a unique way of generating immense pressure out of nowhere, especially in the final over before a scheduled break. Recognizing the opportunity, captain Shubman Gill tossed the ball to the debutant, Manav Suthar.
For the better part of the last decade, Ravichandran Ashwin—either by tactical choice or default—would have been the bowler entrusted with these high-pressure, pre-break overs. With his deep bag of tricks and brilliant cricketing mind, Ashwin was the ultimate candidate to outfox a batter looking to merely survive until the interval. However, with Ashwin now retired and Ravindra Jadeja rested for this match, Gill’s spin resources consisted of Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Suthar. With Afghanistan’s right-handed opener Abdul Malik on strike, Gill made the tactical decision to introduce Suthar, whose natural stock ball spins away from right-handers.
The Technical Brilliance of Manav Suthar
Although Suthar grew up idolizing Ashwin and study-modeling his variations, the young debutant is a completely different style of bowler. Instead of relying heavily on deceptive variations, Suthar’s primary strength lies in his impeccable accuracy. Operating from around the wicket, his run-up sees him moving diagonally between the umpire and the stumps. This traditional, somewhat unfashionable approach helps modern left-arm spinners stay side-on in their delivery stride. This alignment ensures that the front arm does not obstruct their vision, allowing them to keep their eyes locked on the batter right up to the point of release and make crucial, late adjustments.
Despite the ball being relatively new, Suthar felt right at home. Across his 52 previous innings in first-class cricket, he had shared the new ball nine times and operated as the first-change bowler on 13 occasions. He opened his Test career with a full-length delivery outside off-stump, getting the ball to turn instantly. Bowling at his natural pace of around 90 kph, the turn was exceptionally sharp. Malik lunged forward to defend and was beaten completely. Suthar’s next two deliveries also turned sharply, forcing Malik to stay inside the line and let them pass. Though Malik looked highly unconvincing, he had survived three balls, with only three more remaining before tea.
A Dream Start: A Wicket in the First Over
For reasons known only to him, Malik decided to sweep the fourth delivery of the over. Suthar, displaying excellent tactical awareness, had pulled his length back slightly to a good length. This adjustment extracted extra bounce from the surface, resulting in a top edge that flew straight toward short fine leg. Mohammed Siraj made no mistake, pouching the catch safely. In his very first over of Test cricket, Suthar had claimed a wicket—a rare feat achieved by only seven other Indian bowlers in history.
The post-tea session saw Suthar continue to strangle the Afghanistan batting lineup. His control was so absolute that the batters managed to score off just three deliveries in his opening eight overs. Alongside this suffocating economy, he continually created goal-scoring opportunities. He squared up Rahmanullah Gurbaz, generating an edge that unfortunately died on the slow pitch before reaching first slip.
To combat the slowness of the track, Gill adjusted his fielding position. Putting on a helmet, he moved closer to the bat at second slip and dropped to his knees. Suthar quickly induced another edge, but it fell agonizingly short of the skipper. However, Gurbaz’s luck eventually ran out when he edged another delivery to Sai Sudharsan at second slip, handing Suthar his second wicket of the match.
Handling Counter-Attacks and Stamping Authority
The Afghanistan batters tried to break Suthar’s rhythm by stepping out of their crease. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi attempted to charge him twice, but on both occasions, Suthar’s accuracy forced mistimed shots toward short midwicket. When Rahmat Shah, technically the most accomplished batter in the opposition, tried the same tactic, Suthar cleverly dragged his length back, forcing Shah into a defensive posture. Suthar almost breached his defense on the back foot with a beautifully disguised arm ball.
Suthar completed his initial spell with outstanding figures of 13-6-20-2. After a brief four-over rest, he was handed the ball again for what would be the final over of the day’s play. He struck immediately. Afsar Zazai attempted to pull a short-of-good-length delivery, but the sluggish nature of the pitch worked in the bowler’s favor. Zazai was through his shot far too early, resulting in a leading edge that popped straight back to Suthar for an easy return catch. Suthar ended the day with magnificent figures of 3 for 21.
Statistically Superior and Highly Praised
Reflecting on his dream debut, Suthar remarked, “There was help from the wicket, so I just focused on landing the ball in good areas and turning it as much as possible.” Statistics backed up his on-field dominance. During his first spell, host broadcasters displayed a graphic showing that Suthar was extracting an average of 5.3 degrees of turn. By comparison, the most turn managed by any Afghan spinner was 3.7 degrees by Malik.
This match marked India’s first home Test without both Ashwin and Jadeja in the playing eleven since 2010. The Indian spin attack held a cumulative total of only 112 Test wickets before the game—their lowest experience level in a home Test since 2001. Yet, Suthar ensured there was no drop in standard. His bowling partner, Washington Sundar, called watching him bowl a “genuine treat,” adding, “He uses a lot of his body. Every time he gets into the load-up position, he puts all his energy into the ball. That’s an amazing skill and attitude to bring to every delivery.”
More Than Just a Bowler
Before his exploits with the ball, Suthar also proved his worth with the bat, putting on a vital 54-run partnership for the seventh wicket alongside Washington Sundar. Suthar contributed a brisk 28 off 41 balls, getting off the mark in style by stepping down the track and lofting Shahidi past mid-on for a boundary. He would go on to hit another four and two sixes off the Afghan captain, showcasing his fearless batting ability.
This batting display was no fluke, but rather the result of hard work. Suthar had recently scored his maiden first-class century during the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, bringing up the milestone in identical fashion by stepping out to off-spinner Mukul Negi and hitting him over long-on for six.
The Road Ahead
After receiving his Test cap, Suthar took to Instagram to express his joy. “When I started playing cricket, my biggest dream was to play Test cricket for India,” he shared. At just 23 years of age, Suthar possesses all the necessary attributes to enjoy a long, successful Test career for his country.
Prior to the match, head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that the team was searching for a fourth spinner to join Jadeja, Washington, and Kuldeep for the upcoming two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August. Barring any miraculous turn of events, Suthar’s incredible debut performance has surely booked him a ticket on that plane.
