Left-arm spin all-rounder, Manav Suthar makes him debut for India in Tests against Afghanistan
Suthar has taken 129 wickets at an average of 25.76, along with 1026 runs in 29 First-Class matches
He is being looked as a potential replacement of Ravindra Jadeja in Tests
India take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh starting from Saturday, June 6.
India have gone in with their full-fledged Test team under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested after a rigorous 6-month white-ball stint.
Apart from Bumrah, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has also been rested, and his like-for-like replacement, Manav Suthar, has been handed the Indian Test cap.
Manav Suthar has featured for Rajasthan in 29 first-class matches and has taken 129 wickets at an average of 25.76, along with 1026 runs at an average of 25.65.
Suthar played only three matches for his Ranji team last season and took 18 wickets, including an eight-wicket haul against Chhattisgarh. Besides, he scored 120 runs and scalped 7 wickets against Himachal Pradesh in the same season. The Rajasthan all-rounder also bagged 8 wickets in an official Test match against Australia A, which also played a huge role in pushing his case for the Indian team.
He has been added to the Indian Test squad ahead of Axar Patel, which speaks volumes about the selectors' belief in the all-rounder's abilities.
With Jadeja coming towards the fag end of his career and the team management's skepticism on Axar Patel's wicket-taking abilities in the Test format, India are searching for the veteran's replacement and currently they have zeroed down on Manav Suthar for that role.
In addition to Suthar, India have also added left-arm spin all-rounder Harsh Dubey in the Test squad to explore multiple options for that role.
That is the role we are looking at anyway," chief selctor Ajit Agarkar said on the selection of Dubey and Suthar. "With the Test team, we can see there is a lot of transition happening at this point. We are looking at options. A couple of players have moved away from Test cricket... We want guys who can contribute with the bat down the order but also have the necessary skill to be a front-line spin or a front-line seam bowler. We think he certainly fits the bill. We are hopeful that when he gets that opportunity, he shows what he can do. We have seen enough over the last couple of years, maybe a little bit more. He seems to have the necessary skill to succeed at this level."
IND Vs AFG, One-Off Test: India Playing XI
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
