Manav Suthar made his debut for India (Image: BCCI)

The dream of years finally became reality for Manav Suthar on Saturday, when the Rajasthan all-rounder got his first Indian Test cap ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.In a special moment during the pre-match presentation, senior spinner Kuldeep Yadav was handed the coveted Test cap, officially welcoming him into India’s Test fraternity.

Who is Manav Suthar?

Manav Suthar is a 23-year-old rising Indian cricketer who plays as a bowling all-rounder. A traditional slow left-arm orthodox spinner and utility lower-order batsman, Suthar represents Rajasthan in domestic cricket and is part of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL). For Suthar, the occasion marks the culmination of a remarkable rise from the border town of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan to the highest level of international cricket.The left-arm spinning all-rounder has long been seen as one of India’s most talented red-ball prospects. With Ravindra Jadeja rested for the Afghanistan Test, the selectors have given Suthar a chance to make his debut as they continue to assess India’s next generation of spin-bowling all-rounders.Suthar earned his first Test call-up after excellent performances in domestic cricket and for India A. He first gained national attention during the 2022–23 season. ranji trophy He finished the season as Rajasthan’s leading wicket-taker with 39 wickets in just six matches. Suthar entered international cricket with an impressive first-class record of 129 wickets and 945 runs in 29 matches. His performance for India ‘A’ has been excellent. He finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker during the unofficial Test series against Australia ‘A’ (which included an extraordinary 5/107) and excelled at the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

Toss update, India batted first

India won the toss against Afghanistan in Mullanpur and captain Shubman Gill decided to bat first. The playing XI for the one-off Test match is as follows:India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaAfghanistan (Playing XI): Sediqullah Atal, Rehmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Afsar Zazai (w), Azmatullah Umarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rehman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi.