Manav Suthar celebrating a wicket with teammates. PC- AFP
The ongoing one-off Test between India and Afghanistan has been all about the debutant Manav Suthar. In the first innings, the Rajasthan-based bowler bagged the best bowling figures for India as a left-arm spinner on debut.
The 23-year-old tweaker was highly impressive in his first-ever international appearance. He was darting it hard initially, but as his jitters calmed, he started fighting the ball and was able to purchase some drift.
As a result, Suthar registered figures of 6 for 33 in 22 overs, of which 10 were maidens. His efforts ensured that Afghanistan were rattled out for 152 runs in just 58.4 overs, after India posted a mammoth 564-8 while batting first.
Manav Suthar's domestic numbers, Rajasthan rich history
Hailing from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar, Manav Suthar is one of the rare cricketers from the state to represent India at the highest level. Moreover, he is the first Rajasthan-based cricketer to play Test cricket after Pankaj Singh in 2014.
Before making it to the highest level, Suthar has grinded it hard in domestic circles, playing 29 First Class and 25 List-A matches.
However, the four-day cricket has brought out the best in him, taking 129 wickets in just 52 at an average of 25.76. The left-hander is an equally apt batter, with over 1000 domestic runs, including a century and seven half-centuries across all formats.
Manav Suthar IPL Team
Manav Suthar kickstarted his IPL journey with the Gujarat Titans as a net bowler for two seasons (2022-2023). Ahead of the IPL 2024, the franchise officially signed the left-arm spinner at a price tag of INR 20 Lakh, which was later increased by INR 10 lakh from the next season onwards.
After making his debut in 2024 against RCB, he was smashed for 0/26 in just two overs. He had to wait for two years to get another IPL game, and he played four matches in IPL 2026, where GT finished as the runners-up.
His maiden IPL wicket came in IPL 2026 in the form of the RCB captain Rajat Patidar, a prolific batter of spin. Nevertheless, in his brief career, Suthar has bagged just two wickets in five matches.
How has IND vs AFG Test panned out so far?
In the IND vs AFG one-off, Team India posted a massive total on the board. KL Rahul slammed his 12th Test ton, while Sai Sudharsan assisted him well with his 81.
Later, skipper Shubman Gill continued his fine form, smacking his 11th century in the format before slamming a record fifty. Whereas, Rishabh Pant celebrated playing his 50th Test with a fantastic 81.
India decided to declare the innings on 564-8 after Washington Sundar reached his half-century.
With the ball, Manav Suthar (6/33) and Prasidh Krishna were enough against the touring Afghanistan in the first innings. As the visitors were restricted to 152, India enforced a follow-on on Day 3.
At Tea on the moving day, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side are 18 for no loss after four overs, trailing by 394 runs.
Also Read: "India Unearthed A New Gem"- Manav Suthar's Historic Debut Leads To Fans' Outpour
