Jaipur: The wait lasted for over a decade, but the dry spell for Rajasthan’s cricket fraternity finally ended on a historic Saturday morning in New Chandigarh. Ever since Pankaj Singh stepped into ancient India, no cricketer from the state has won the coveted Test cap. After a gap of 12 years, the desert state is back in the Test arena thanks to young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar from Sriganganagar.With this monumental feat, 23-year-old Manav entered an elite club, and became only the fifth cricketer from the state to represent the state in Test cricket after the great Salim Durani, Hanumant Singh, Parthasarathy Sharma and Pankaj Singh.Long before the national selectors took notice, the foundations for this historic moment were being laid in the home trenches. Vineet Saxena, former Rajasthan player and coach of the senior men’s team in the 2022-23 season, remembers a quiet morning ranji trophy The match of that year when he got his first glimpse of a human during a competitive game.“He was the guy who was getting players out in defense and slip,” recalls Saxena.For a seasoned guru like him, the wickets on the scorecard can sometimes be misleading, but the technical precision of dismissals reveals the bowler’s true ability. Saxena explains that what really makes Manav an exceptional left-arm spinner is his ability to fundamentally outwit batsmen, defeating them when they are actively trying to protect their stumps.“So generally, when we look at a bowler, the numbers don’t really indicate the way he is taking wickets. But if a bowler is getting the batsman out in his defence, it means that bowler has really good quality,” the former state coach said.Not only did his tactical brilliance catch everyone’s attention, but the incredible physical attributes of his bowling also caught everyone’s attention. Suthar had an innate ability to manipulate the ball in the air, giving it a heavy turn that became a nightmare for the home batsmen.“The other thing I noticed is the revs he puts on the ball, it’s amazing,” says Saxena. “In our language, we say the ball is spinning and flowing, and cutting through the surface. So it has to do with the revs he is able to impart on the ball. That’s something special he has.”That special quality came into reality during Manav’s second Ranji Trophy season in 2022-23. The young spinner tore apart the opposition lineup, taking 39 wickets in just six matches at an incredible economy of 2.90, including two five-wicket hauls and a match-winning ten-wicket haul.Yet, what makes Suthar the ideal modern cricketer, and why many are already looking at him as a potential successor to Ravindra Jadeja, is his immense all-round ability. Suthar was never satisfied with being a one-dimensional expert.“In one game that season, he took five wickets against Pondicherry and missed a century. So it would have been a big achievement,” says Saxena. “He can develop into a good all-rounder. And even in batting, what I saw at that time was that he was very eager to learn. So his mentality and attitude was the same.”Naturally, any young left-arm orthodox spinner who can bat and score massive runs at the domestic level will immediately be compared to Jadeja. As Manav officially begins his Test journey, the hype is palpable, but Saxena urges a balanced perspective while validating the young player’s immense talent.“Jadeja is probably one of India’s greatest all-rounders. So I think it would be wrong to compare humans with them at the moment. Man has to go a very long way to accomplish this,” says Saxena.Suthar’s adaptability became even more evident when he converted these red-ball performances into high-risk white-ball cricket. Saxena recalls how effortlessly the spinner held his own against some of the most dangerous, established pinch-hitters in the country, proving that he is a genuine all-format asset.“Facing a star-studded Mumbai team in the practice games ahead of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Ahmedabad, he produced an extraordinary performance against Shivam Dube. Despite Dube’s notorious dominance over left-arm spinners, he reduced the all-rounder’s scoring rate to under a run-a-ball and ended it by dismissing him. That fearlessness was not a one-off,”When the tournament officially began, Manav made his T20 debut against Madhya Pradesh as an impact player, tasked with containing the in-form Venkatesh Iyer.“Iyer is a good striker of the ball. In that game, he scored almost 60 runs off 30 balls. Of those, against Manav, it was just run-a-ball, and Manav bowled him around 8 to 10 balls. So even against pinch hitters, he was able to stop them. He has that skill for T20s as well. He is an all-format player, it’s not like he can only survive in the longer format,” he added. Said.