Across two days of near-total dominance at the New Chandigarh Stadium in Mullanpur, where Afghanistan have been left reeling with both bat and ball, debutant Manav Suthar‘s classical left-arm spin has emerged as a beacon of hope for India’s future. The 23-year-old picked up three wickets in the second half of Day 2 of the one-off Test to keep India firmly in the driver’s seat.
After five overs of pace bowling allowed Afghanistan’s openers to settle with 28 runs in 30 balls, captain Shubman Gill turned to Suthar. The move paid immediate dividends.
The left-armer got the ball to turn sharply in his very first over, prompting Abdul Malik to attempt an aggressive sweep. The batter could only manage a top edge behind the wicket, where Mohammed Siraj held on after avoiding a collision with KL Rahul, handing Suthar his maiden international wicket.
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The dismissal also put Suthar in an exclusive club. The Rajasthan spinner became the first Indian bowler in 25 years to take a wicket in the first over of his debut Test innings. The previous instance came in 2001 when Tinu Yohannan dismissed Marcus Trescothick against England.
Overall, Suthar is only the eighth Indian to achieve the feat. The others are Montu Banerjee (vs West Indies, 1948), Manohar Hardikar (vs West Indies, 1958), Vaman Kumar (vs Pakistan, 1961), Chetan Sharma (vs Pakistan, 1984), WV Raman (vs West Indies, 1988), Nilesh Kulkarni (vs Sri Lanka, 1997) and Yohannan.
Suthar’s second wicket showcased his craft. After bowling a series of deliveries that went straight on, he deceived Rahmanullah Gurbaz with one that dipped late and turned just enough to find the outside edge. Sai Sudharsan completed a straightforward catch at second slip.
His third wicket arrived on the final ball of the day. A delivery that stopped slightly off the surface induced a leading edge from Afsar Zazai, with Suthar completing a simple return catch off his own bowling.
The three wickets, combined with Prasidh Krishna’s two-for, left Afghanistan tottering at 113 for 5 at stumps.
Earlier in the day, Suthar contributed with the bat as well. He scored a valuable 28 off 41 balls in a 54-run partnership with Washington Sundar, whose half-century helped India declare at 564 for 8.
How Suthar earned his India cap
The left-arm spinner has been a prolific wicket-taker in domestic cricket since the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season, when he claimed 39 wickets in just six matches.
In the 2025-26 campaign, he featured in only three matches but still managed 18 wickets, including a match-winning haul of 8 for 42 against Chhattisgarh. Those performances made him a regular fixture in India Emerging and India A squads before earning a maiden Test call-up.
Speaking to JioStar ahead of the match in Mullanpur, Suthar revealed how his family reacted to the news of his selection.
“I was in my room when my sister called me. She told me that my name had come up in the Indian team. I asked her if it was official. She said ‘yes’. Everyone was emotional when I got the call.
“Dad, mom, everyone called me. They couldn’t believe it. I can’t describe it in words. It’s the biggest feeling. You work hard for years, and then you finally get selected for India. It’s the best feeling of my life.”
Suthar also named former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and legendary off-spinner R Ashwin as his biggest inspirations.
“Yuvraj Singh is my favourite cricketer. I also really admire R Ashwin. The way they bowled, the variety they had in their bowling, and how they adapted to Test cricket, ODIs and T20Is inspires me a lot. They are my role models.”
