India all-rounder Washington Sundar believes that debutant spinner Manav Suthar has all the ingredients to become a major force in Indian Test cricket, after the left-handed batsman had a brilliant performance in his debut appearance against Afghanistan. Sundar said that Suthar’s skill set and work ethic has been evident over the years and predicted that the youngster will win many matches for India.

Suthar was one of the standout performers for India on day two Took three wickets in the only test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur Helping the hosts tighten their grip on the competition. The Rajasthan spinner justified the faith shown in him by the selectors with a confident performance on a surface that provided increasing assistance to the slower bowlers.

India vs AFG, one-off Test Day 2: highlighted | Achievement:

Speaking at the second day’s press conference, Washington praised his spin-bowling teammate and highlighted the qualities that have made Sutthar one of the most highly rated young spinners in the domestic circuit.

“He (Suthar) has been brilliant. As players who have played with him over the years, we know exactly what he can bring, especially in this format,” Sundar enthused.

“The number of skills he has and the way he has worked on them over the last few years is something to watch. For him to bring out his best skill set, especially on the second day, is amazing… As a real spinner he has got great skill sets. How much he can really spin the ball and how many revs he can really get on the ball – that’s always been a strength. Every time he goes into his load-up and releases the ball, he gives all his energy It’s an amazing skill as well as the approach to each ball.”

For most of the last decade, India’s legendary spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had a complete monopoly on the Test match department. Although the national selectors have rested key stalwarts for this series, Suthar’s seamless integration with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar proves that the next generation of Indian slow bowlers is fully prepared to take up the international responsibilities.

How was Manav Suthar’s India Test debut?

Manav Suthar’s introduction to Test cricket could not have been written more accurately. Brought into the bowling attack as early as the sixth over of the innings, the Rajasthan spinner tempted Afghanistan opener Abdul Malik for a top-edge sweep with his very first ball in international cricket, which fell safely into Indian hands.

The youngster did not stop there, he continued to take full advantage of the turn provided by the New Chandigarh surface to completely defeat the opposition batsmen. In the 20th over, Suthar took a beautiful drift and a sharp outside edge from the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz, then added Afsar Zazai to his account in the evening and finished the second day on a high with impressive figures of 3/21 from his 15.5 overs.

India has an edge over Afghanistan

By the end of the second day’s play, the host nation had put themselves in an almost unbeatable position to secure a decisive victory. Electing to bat after winning the toss, India posted a massive score of 564/8 in the first innings before declaring with the help of brilliant centuries from captain Shubman Gill (126) and vice-captain KL Rahul (100) and brilliant half-centuries from Sai Sudarshan (81), Rishabh Pant (81) and Washington Sundar (52*).

In response, Afghanistan’s batting lineup collapsed under intense pressure from India’s multi-pronged spin attack on a rapidly deteriorating surface. The visitors ended the second day’s play at 113/5 after 39.5 overs and still trail by 451 runs. While Rahmat Shah (43*) has held the fort for the visitors, Suthar and the rest of the Indian bowling unit will look to finish fast on day three.

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