'Test cricket is about patience' - Manav Suthar reveals early learnings after emphatic India debut

Young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar could hardly contain his emotions after producing a memorable performance on Test debut, helping India register their biggest-ever victory in the format with an innings-and-300-run triumph over Afghanistan in the one-off Test.

The 23-year-old was named Player of the Match after claiming seven wickets in the contest, including a stunning 6/33 in the first innings that laid the foundation for India’s dominant win. Speaking after the match, Suthar described the experience as a dream come true and admitted that the feeling was difficult to put into words.

“It’s an unreal feeling. Top of the world feeling. When I went in to bat, I felt good slowly after facing a few balls and when I bowled the first over I wanted to stick to similar lengths and line,” Suthar said after receiving the award to JioHotstar.

The Rajasthan-born revealed that he initially planned to rely heavily on his stock deliveries but soon realised that the pitch demanded a slightly different approach. He also looked back on the dismissal of Saleem Safi, who was adjudged lbw despite replays later indicating that the ball had pitched outside leg stump. The youngster admitted that he was confident it was out and also convinced skipper Shubman Gill to take the review.

“I tried to back my stock delivery but I understood that the pitch is slightly slow so I had to put in more effort. [On the DRS] I felt it was absolutely plumb in the heat of the moment,” he said with a smile.

While the debut performance earned widespread praise, Suthar emphasised that consistency and patience remain the most important qualities for any bowler hoping to succeed in the longest format.

“Bowling at the same spot is important. Test cricket is about patience so I hope I can be consistent with my bowling,” he concluded.

Suthar’s remarkable figures of 6/33 are now the second-best innings figures by an Indian bowler on Test debut, behind only Narendra Hirwani’s famous 8/61 against the West Indies in 1988.

Afghanistan were dismissed for 152 in their first innings before being forced to follow on. The visitors struggled once again and were bowled out for 112 in the second innings. Washington Sundar (4/36) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/30) shared seven wickets between them as India sealed victory midway through Day 3 to complete a historic triumph for the Indian team by a margin of an innings and 300 runs.