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Manav Suthar has made an impressive start to his Test career, but former Sri Lankan all-rounder Russel Arnold believes it is still too early to describe the India spinner as a “special” player.
Suthar played a key role in India’s 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, claiming 10 wickets in the match. However, Arnold feels the left-arm spinner will need to prove himself in different conditions before earning that tag.
Manav Suthar's 10-fer steers India to win over Sri Lanka in Galle Test
Manav Suthar produced a memorable performance in just his second Test match as India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in Galle. The left-arm spinner claimed four wickets in the first innings before returning with a six-wicket haul in the second innings.
Manav Suthar finished with match figures of 10/131, playing a crucial role in helping India bowl Sri Lanka out for 284 in the first innings and 206 in the second. His second-innings spell was particularly important as Sri Lanka were chasing a target of 372 after India had posted 462 and 193.
The youngster has now made a strong start to his Test career and has shown that he can play an important role for India in subcontinent conditions. However, Russel Arnold believes Suthar still has plenty to prove before he can be placed among the game's special players.
To say the word special amongst the others, I'm not too sure he is there yet - Russel Arnold
Russel Arnold acknowledged Manav Suthar's impressive performances in his first two Tests but pointed out that the youngster has so far played in conditions that have offered assistance to spinners. He believes Suthar will need to perform across different conditions before being labelled a special player.
"Well, he was good. It is just two Test matches, one against Afghanistan in India and now one here. So, to say the word special amongst the others, I'm not too sure he is there yet, because he will have to show himself in different conditions. These are, at the end of the day, helpful conditions," Russel Arnold told a select group of reporters during a chat organised by Sony Sports Network.
However, the former Sri Lankan cricketer was impressed by Manav Suthar's ability to maintain control and backed him to play a similar role to the one Ravichandran Ashwin performed for India in overseas conditions.
"But everything to like, you need bowlers who give you control, and that is what he does. You have the batter guessing all the time, he is accurate. So, even on a good pitch, he will play a part in holding one end up, something that Ravichandran Ashwin, when he played in foreign conditions, would do. He would not get many wickets, but the economy rate would be so low that the batters are not breaking free and allowed the Indian fast bowlers to attack from the other end. There is a lot of value in that. On helpful pitches, Manav Suthar will come into his own, but beyond that, also because of his simplicity," Russel Arnold added.
When you don't perform you would be critical of yourself - Russel Arnold on Kuldeep Yadav
While Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja enjoyed success in Galle, Kuldeep Yadav had a relatively quiet outing. The wrist-spinner picked up only one wicket in the 25 overs he bowled and was quite expensive.
This has led to calls for Kuldeep Yadav to be dropped from the Playing XI for the second Test match. In case this happens, India might replace him with an off-spinner - Saransh Jain - who received his call-up on the back of his heroics in domestic cricket.
Meanwhile, Russel Arnold backed captain Shubman Gill's decision to rely more heavily on the two left-arm finger spinners, while insisting that Kuldeep Yadav's performance should not be a major concern.
"Of course you would feel pressure. When you don't perform you would be critical of yourself, so he will be carrying some baggage, and it will be harder for him because he has watched the other two spinners pick up wickets.
"But a captain needs control. You expect a wrist spinner to go for a few more runs, and in Galle it was the right decision to bowl with the two left-arm finger spinners. It's not to say that Kuldeep is not good or out of form. When you go with 3 spinners, one of them will be unhappy because he will not get too many overs to bowl," Russel Arnold stated.
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