Galle, Aug 22:
Manav Suthar has etched his name into Indian Test cricket history after becoming only the second Indian bowler to claim five-wicket hauls in both his first home and first away Tests.
The 24-year-old left-arm spinner achieved the feat during India’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, where he produced a match-winning performance to finish with 10 wickets for 131 runs.
Suthar had already made an impressive start to his Test career on debut against Afghanistan in Mullanpur in June, claiming six wickets in the first innings.
He followed it up emphatically on his first overseas assignment, taking four for 76 in Sri Lanka’s first innings before returning six for 55 in the second.
His achievement has placed him alongside Mohammad Nissar, who set the benchmark nearly a century ago.Nissar became the first Indian to accomplish the feat when he took five wickets in both his first away and first home Tests against England in the early 1930s. He claimed five for 93 at Lord’s on his Test debut in 1932 before returning figures of five for 90 against England in Mumbai in 1933.
Suthar has now matched that record, which had remained untouched for 93 years. His Galle performance also put him in select company among India’s premier spinners.
His six-wicket haul in the second innings made him only the third Indian bowler to claim six or more wickets in an innings in a Test in Sri Lanka, after Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh.More significantly, Suthar’s overall match figures of 10 for 131 surpassed Harbhajan’s previous benchmark for an Indian bowler in a Test in Sri Lanka. Harbhajan had taken 10 for 153 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2008. Suthar bettered that mark with 10 for 131 from 54.2 overs.
The Rajasthan spinner also became the youngest Indian to register a 10-wicket haul in a Test match.
He is only the third Indian after Harbhajan and Ashwin to achieve the feat in Sri Lanka.
Suthar’s numbers become even more remarkable considering that he has played only two Tests.
He has already collected 17 wickets in his opening two matches, underlining the impact of his start to international cricket.
While Suthar now holds the Indian record for the best match figures in a Test in Sri Lanka, the overall record for a visiting bowler in the country remains with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj. The left-arm spinner claimed 12 for 283 against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo in 2018.
At only 24, Suthar has already joined the company of some of India’s most accomplished spinners.
His performance in Galle not only delivered a memorable victory for India but also revived a record that had stood since the early years of Indian Test cricket.