NEW CHANDIGARH: It is very easy to lose Manav Suthar in the crowd. His unassuming demeanor on the cricket field does not quite reveal how important he is to India's plans to reclaim red-ball supremacy. He is part of a red-ball spin project meticulously designed by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) over the last three years.
Player of the Match on Debut
By the time he was adjudged the player of the match on his debut against Afghanistan in the one-off Test here on Monday afternoon, Suthar became a household name. India registered a win by an innings and 300 runs inside three days—their biggest margin in Tests—which almost felt secondary. It was never expected of an inexperienced Afghanistan team to push India here. For captain Shubman Gill and the team management, the match was more about planning for the coming nine months of Test cricket. Suddenly, the debate is about accommodating him in the XI when India have all their spin resources available, with Ravindra Jadeja coming back.
Impressive Performance
The team management, selection committee, and the coaching staff at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) had seen enough of Suthar to know he will be the next spinner drafted into the Test team for the immediate future. His spell of 6/33, exhibiting the wile of conventional left-arm spin, bowled out Afghanistan in the first innings for 152 before lunch. This was enough for the world to know why the caretakers of India's talent pipeline are so protective of him. Suthar was given the new ball after Afghanistan were asked to follow on, before senior spinners Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav had a decent spell. Washington and Kuldeep finished with 4/36 and 3/30 respectively to wrap up proceedings, bowling out Afghanistan for 112 in 35.5 overs.
In the 94.2 overs India bowled in the match, Suthar bared his armoury. He even brought out a lethal arm-ball to get his only wicket of the second innings. The Afghanistan batting may not be at par with the quality of batters that Suthar bowls to in domestic cricket. Yet, it was important for him to not lose control over his craft. For large parts of the Test match, especially when the pitch offered minimal slow turn on Day Two, Suthar emerged as a more potent option than Washington and Kuldeep.
Future Prospects
Jadeja's bowling over the last couple of years has the team management and the selectors worried. His steady contributions with the bat in the middle-order in England last year have given his career a lease of life. In the background, though, Indian cricket has been preparing for life beyond Jadeja. “Manav has been part of the system for three years. BCCI's system gave him exposure from Ranji Trophy to Emerging India team and then there was India 'A' and IPL in between,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said after the Test, before adding: “He bowled well but he batted really well. That is actually very satisfying.”
It is well established that head coach Gautam Gambhir prefers players with dual skills. Washington, with consistent all-round performances, has become an indispensable part of the Test XI. In the buildup to this Test, the team management announced they were looking for a fourth spin option besides the regulars in Jadeja, Washington, and Kuldeep. As things stand now, Kuldeep's indifferent performances in the home season last year can also open up an opportunity for Suthar if India decide to play on the presumably turning tracks in Sri Lanka in August. Suthar has got a deluge of overs under his belt in Indian conditions.
India's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final may boil down to the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy when Australia come visiting in January. The indications are that India are reluctant to play on raging turners where the batters have surrendered to overseas spin attacks twice in the last two years. The underwhelming returns from the spinners on a decent pitch in the last Test against South Africa in Guwahati last November has led to a demand for more potency in the spin attack. Suthar is a long-term project. It will be interesting to see how soon the Indian team management feels he is a first-choice spinner in the XI.
