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Young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar had a debut to remember as he made an instant impact for the India National Cricket Team on Day 2 of the ongoing one-off Test against the Afghanistan National Cricket Team at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
The youngster looked calm, confident, and fully in control as he delivered a match-changing spell that helped India dominate the game on Day 2 against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh.
Manav Suthar creates history with dream debut Test spell
Manav Suthar showed great maturity and control over his line and length. He kept the Afghanistan batters under pressure and did not allow them to settle. The spinner got his first international wicket when he dismissed Abdul Malik just before the tea break.
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The left-arm spinner continued his dream start in the final session. He removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and later, he struck again on the very last ball of the day, sending Afsar Zazai back to the pavilion and finishing with outstanding figures of 3 wickets for just 21 runs in 15.5 overs.
His efforts helped Suthar to achieve a special achievement as he became only the eighth Indian bowler in history to take a wicket in the very first over of his Test debut. The rare list includes names from different eras of Indian cricket. No Indian bowler had achieved this feat for 25 years.
Suthar joined the elite club featuring 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 Tinu Yohannan (vs England, 2001).
A dream debut continues in whites 🤍
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 7, 2026
Wicket No. 3️⃣ for Manav Suthar 👏
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Manav Suthar reveals simple plan behind dream Test debut spell
After the stump, Manav Suthar said that his focus during the spell was on bowling in the right areas and backing his strengths. The spinner also admitted that the surface was helping, so he just bowled in the right areas and hit the right length as consistently as possible.
Suthar told the broadcasters as quoted by Cricbuzz: “The wicket was offering some help, and my strength is getting the ball to turn. So, my aim was to extract as much turn as possible because the pitch was assisting. At the same time, I wanted to keep bowling in good areas and hit the ideal length consistently, because that was where the help was coming from. That was my entire focus.”
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Manav Suthar reflects on his journey and how Shubman Gill helped him
Speaking about his journey from domestic cricket to the India team, the debutant said that his journey started in domestic cricket, from Under-19 and then the Ranji Trophy. He added, “It has been very good and very special. Playing for India is a dream for everyone, and I am extremely happy to have received my cap.”
Suthar also admitted that having already played under Shubman Gill for Gujarat Titans in the IPL really helped him during his debut match against Afghanistan. He signed off by saying, “Since we’ve played together, he understands my strengths and my bowling well. Based on that, he guides me regarding field placements, match situations, and the lines and lengths I should bowl.”
