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A landmark performance by the debutant spinner Manav Suther, the spinner who took 7 wickets in his first Test, 6 wickets in the first innings. As he said after the match, it was unreal.
Team India defeated Afghanistan in New Chandigarh by an innings and 300 runs. They outclassed the visitors in all departments to claim the historic win. It is the biggest win by India by margin in the format.
Manav Suthar takes himself into an elite list
Manav Suthar claimed the Player of the Match award for his wonderful bowling stats. In the first innings, he took 6 scalps for only 33 runs, which was sufficient to eliminate Afghanistan from the contest. The Indian batters also did a fantastic job of putting the opposing side under pressure.
With centuries from KL Rahul and Captain Shubman Gill, India posted 564 runs in the first innings of the one-off Test. In reply, Afghanistan managed to get only 152 runs and 112 runs in the first and second innings, respectively.
There are only a few Indian players who have bagged the Player of the Match awards in their debut match. After Pravim Amre, RP Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, it is Manav Suthar who has enrolled himself in the elite list.
P.O.M Award In Debut Test Match (Indians):
1992 - Pravin Amre
2006 - RP Singh
2011 - Ravichandran Ashwin
2013 - Shikhar Dhawan
2013 - Rohit Sharma
2018 - Prithvi Shaw
2021 - Shreyas Iyer
2023 - Yashasvi Jaiswal
2026 - Manav Suthar*
It was a very unreal feeling: Suthar
Suthar said that it had been his dream to play Test cricket for the country, especially in the Test format. For him, it was a surreal experience as he was named the best player of the match.
“It was a very unreal feeling. It has been my dream from the very beginning to play for India and to play Test cricket. So it was an incredible moment for me and honestly felt quite unreal,” Manav Suthar said.
Suthar explains how he manages to take those 7 wickets
He further mentioned that when he went to bat, he felt that the pitch had something to offer for the bowlers. After that, when he went to deliver his first over, he got the same feeling, and then he continued to bowl, maintaining proper line, length, and speed.
“Even when I went out to bat, I felt quite comfortable. As I settled in and faced a few deliveries, I realized 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,” Manav Suthar mentioned.
Along with the trophy, Suthar collected some precious lessons as well from this match. As a bowler, he learnt that it is most important to be patient and keep bowling in the same area constantly.
“The biggest lesson is that consistency is everything. You have to keep bowling in the same area over and over again. I think that's the most important thing in Test cricket. It's a format that demands a lot of patience,” Suthar concluded.
Read More: India's biggest Test wins: Top 5 victories after Afghanistan rout
