Manav Suthar wreaked havoc in the Galle Test match by taking 6 wickets and reducing Sri Lanka's second innings to 206, due to which Team India won the match by 165 runs. India had set a target of 372 runs for the host team, chasing which it had scored 175 runs at the loss of 6 wickets by lunch on the fifth day (19 August). Sonal Dinusha, who had scored a century in the first innings, was frozen once again. Sri Lankan fans had hopes that they would draw the match but Manav Suthar, who was playing his first Test match on foreign soil, dashed their hopes.
This young left arm spinner broke the patience of Dinusha (84) after lunch and then took the remaining 3 wickets in the next 9 balls. He took 4 wickets in the first innings. Suthar took 10 wickets for 131 runs in the match, which is the best bowling figures of an Indian bowler on Sri Lankan soil. He made his Test debut against Afghanistan in June this year and took 7 wickets. In this way he has 17 wickets in his name in 2 test matches. There are only two Indian bowlers who have taken more wickets than him in the first two Test matches of his career. Narendra Hirwani took 24 wickets in his first two Tests, while Akshar Patel took 18 wickets.
Suthar is the second Indian bowler to take 5 wicket haul in his very first Test match at home and abroad. Mohammad Nisar had done this feat before him. Suthar also took 3 wickets in the over during Sri Lanka's second innings. After 2019, no Indian bowler did this in Test cricket. These figures show how dangerous a spinner Suthar is. After the win in Galle, Indian team vice-captain KL Rahul listed his qualities and said that his amazing ability to vary the pace of the ball without changing the action and accuracy makes him a very dangerous bowler in all types of conditions.
What did Rahul tell about Suthar?
Rahul said in the press conference after the match, 'His specialty is to make slight changes while bowling the same action and from the same angle, slowing down and speeding up the ball without changing the speed. He also makes very slight changes in the angle. He said that Suthar also made excellent use of the air in Galle.
Rahul said, 'When the wind was blowing from one side in Galle, he used the drift very well. After this the ball straightened or came in. This is something that he has always been doing in India also.
'Suthar forces the batsmen to do something different'
Rahul said that Suthar's ability to consistently bowl at the right place creates problems for the batsmen. Rahul said, 'He bowls consistently from the same spot and can do so throughout the day with minor changes. This makes the batsman think that if the ball is not spinning much then he will have to do something different. When the batsman is in this kind of mental state then the match becomes in your favor.
He told that Suthar's bowling speed and consistency are his biggest strengths. He said, 'He always challenges the batsman to get out in every way. The line on which he bowls can lead to LBW and if the ball rotates a little, it can also lead to a catch behind the wicket. This is a special talent.