Manav Suthar, a spin-bowling all-rounder from Rajasthan, made his Test debut for India on Saturday in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur. The 23-year-old was selected ahead of Harsh Dubey, showing that the team management has strong faith in him and sees him playing an important role in the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Suthar received his maiden Test cap from Kuldeep Yadav.
The left-arm spinner enters the fray having played 29 first-class matches, taking 129 wickets. Suthar is now India’s first specialist spin Test debutant since Axar Patel in 2021. Apart from 29 first-class matches, Suthar has also played 25 List-A matches and 29 T20S. He was also part of the Gujarat Titans squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, playing 4 matches and taking 2 wickets.
Manav Suthar earns maiden India Test cap against Afghanistan
It is worth noting that this is the first time since November 2010 that India has played a Test without both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. On the eve of the Test, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was tight-lipped, and he didn’t even give a hint regarding who would play between Dubey and Suthar. However, he said that whoever is picked will play a big role in the upcoming two Tests against Sri Lanka.
“This is perhaps the only Test match where we can have a look at someone who could be our fourth spinner. Because after this, we go to Sri Lanka, and we might have to carry four spinners. So this is an ideal opportunity to try someone who could be a long-term option as well,” Gambhir told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
Earlier, the former Indian spinner had also praised Suthar, saying, “The reason why Manav Suthar is rated very highly is crystal clear in this picture. It’s not just the angle of rotation or over spin, it’s also the speed at which it is rotating. He has a distinct advantage alongside Harsh Dubey in this regard.”
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (C), Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Afsar Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem.