Test cricket is a game of patience: Manav Suthar

The Indian cricket ecosystem has had its eye on Manav Suthar for a few years. In conversations, many would speak glowingly of the 23-year-old’s rhythmic action, flight, bounce and the revolutions imparted, all of which allowed the left-arm spinner to extract considerable turn even on flatter surfaces.

There was irrefutable evidence of all his virtues over the past three days as Manav stole the show in his debut Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium. Admittedly, the batters at the other end weren’t out of the top drawer, but on a deck that was far from being a dustbowl, Manav turned heads just by the frequency with which he spun the ball past the right-handers.

The fruits of his hard work were figures of six for 33 in 22 overs in the first innings, facilitating his addition to an elite list of Indian bowlers with five-wicket hauls on debut.

Afterwards, Manav, adjudged the Player-of-the-Match, couldn’t hide his delight at the proceedings in New Chandigarh. “It is an unreal feeling. My dream from the beginning was to play Test cricket for India. At the start, I wanted to see how the pitch was playing. So, I backed the stock delivery. Then, I used subtle variations. Test cricket is a game of patience, so just bowl with patience,” he said at the presentation.

Back in Sri Ganganagar, a city in Rajasthan that is located near the border with Pakistan, Manav’s father echoed his son’s fondness for the classical version. “I always believed that Manav would play Test cricket for India first. White-ball cricket can come later,” Jagdish Suthar, a retired school teacher who had attended the first day’s play, told The Hindu.

Now, it is up to Manav to make this the first of many appearances.