Manav Suthar created history on his Test debut as he churned out a stellar performance for India during the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur. The Rajasthan all-rounder, who has been impressive in the domestic circuit, was called into the Indian side for the Test match as Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were rested.ย
Suthar quickly became the talk of the town as he scalped a six-wicket haul on his Test debut. He impressed many with his control and spin as he orchestrated Afghanistan’s downfall in the first innings. Suthar scalped 6/33 in his 22 overs and achieved the third-best figures by an Indian bowler on Test debut. His 6/33 was only behind Narendra Hirwani’s twin magical spells on debut against the West Indies in 1988 when he grabbed eight wickets each in both innings.
Suthar named Player of the Match on debut
Meanwhile, Suthar was named the Player of the Match for the one-off Test as India won by an innings and 300 runs. The hosts asked Afghanistan to follow on after bowling them out for 152 in the first innings. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav starred in the second essay as Afghans were dismissed for 112.ย
However, it was Suthar who was named the Player of the Match for his stellar outing in the first innings. He has joined an elusive list of Indian players to have won the Man of the Match honour on their debut.ย
Suthar has become just the ninth Indian to have won the Player of the Match Award on Test debut, joining the likes of Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, among others.ย
Indians to win Player of the Match Awards on Test debut:
1992 – Pravin Amre
2006 – RP Singhย
2011 – Ravi Ashwin
2013 – Shikhar Dhawanย
2013 – Rohit Sharmaย
2018 – Prithvi Shaw
2021 – Shreyas Iyerย
2023 – Yashasvi Jaiswalย
2026 – Manav Suthar
Suthar reflects on his performance
Suthar reflected on his six-wicket haul in the first innings. The Rajasthan all-rounder got a first-hand look at the surface when he batted in the first innings before trying his hand with the red cherry. “Did batting before bowling help settle his nerves?) No. Even when I went out to bat, I felt quite comfortable. As I settled in and faced a few deliveries, I realised there was a bit of assistance for the spinners on the wicket. Then, when I came on to bowl and delivered my first over, I got the same feeling. After that, my only focus was to keep using the right line, length and pace,” he said after the match.
Suthar’s spin made things difficult for the Afghan batters, who did not had answers to his bowling. “Yes, initially my focus was on understanding how the wicket was playing. That’s why I wanted to rely on my stock delivery as much as possible. Once I understood that the wicket was a little slow and required some variation in pace, I started making those adjustments. But the main idea was always to make my stock ball as effective as possible,” Suthar added.
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