Sunil Gavaskar Lauds Young Sensation Manav Suthar For Impressive India Test Debut: 'He Was Extremely Accurate'

India vs Afghanistan: Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar showered praise on young sensation Manav Suthar for his impressive Test debut with the Indian cricket team, describing the youngster as “extremely accurate” in his maiden long-format appearance.

India are facing Afghanistan in the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

Suthar spearheaded India’s bowling attack on Day 2, taking three wickets while conceding only 21 runs in his 15.5-over spell at an economy rate of 1.30. His scalps included Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Afsar Zazai.

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Manav Suthar's Dream Debut Gets Massive Praise

Speaking on JioHotstar, Gavaskar hailed Suthar’s standout performance not only with the ball but also with the bat.

“What stood out was not just his bowling, but also the confidence he showed with the bat, particularly in the way he used his feet and looked comfortable at the crease,” Gavaskar said.

He further noted that the Indian spinner consistently put the Afghan batters under pressure.

“With the ball, he was extremely accurate and consistently put the batters under pressure. There was some assistance from the surface, which he utilised well, but the real test for any spinner comes on flatter pitches where greater variety and adaptability are required,” Gavaskar added.

Predicting a bright future, Gavaskar said Suthar has the attributes to become a strong contender at the Test level going forward.

Suthar received Test cap No. 319 from senior spinner Kuldeep Yadav, becoming the first spin bowler to debut for India since Axar Patel in 2021. He also achieved a unique milestone, becoming the first Indian bowler in 25 years to take a wicket in his very first over in men’s Test cricket.

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Sunil Gavaskar Lauds Prasidh Krishna's ‘Awareness’ Against Afghanistan

Not only did Sunil Gavaskar praise Manav Suthar, but he also hailed Prasidh Krishna for showing “awareness and adaptability” in the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

“Prasidh Krishna showed excellent awareness and adaptability in the way he approached his spell. As a fast bowler, the natural instinct is often to operate on a shorter length and use bounce to trouble batters, but he recognised the conditions and adjusted accordingly,” Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.

Prasidh Krishna claimed two wickets in his seven-over spell, conceding 27 runs at an economy rate of 3.90. His crucial dismissals included Sediqullah Atal and Hashmatullah Shahidi on Day 2.

At stumps on Day 2, Afghanistan were 113/5, trailing by 451 runs. Earlier, India declared their first innings at 564/8, powered by stunning knocks from Shubman Gill (126 off 177 balls) and KL Rahul (100 off 165 balls).