New Chandigarh, June 8 (IANS) India all-rounder Washington Sundar believes debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar has all the abilities to become a match-winner in Test cricket after the youngster impressed on the second day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the PCA Stadium.
Suthar enjoyed a memorable start to his Test career on Sunday, picking up 3-21 in 15.5 overs as India reduced Afghanistan to 113/5 after declaring their first innings at 564/8.
Speaking before the start of play on Monday, Sundar said Suthar’s impact did not come as a surprise to those within the Indian setup. “I mean, we all know what he could actually bring into the table, especially in this format. And we’ve all seen him win games for all the teams that we’ve played, especially in this format. I guess it was just about time and it was going to come,” Sundar told the broadcasters.
The 25-year-old Rajasthan spinner struck on the fourth ball of his Test career, dismissing Abdul Malik before adding the wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Afsar Zazai to put Afghanistan under immense pressure.
Sundar backed Suthar to make an even bigger impact for India in the years to come. “And especially the way he turned up and bowled on his day one was amazing. And obviously, we could expect a lot more from him. And eventually, he will be a match winner for us, especially in this format,” he added.
Asked what stands out most about Suthar as a bowler, Sundar pointed to the effort and intensity he puts behind every delivery.
“I think the amount of body that goes into every single delivery of his is fabulous to watch. And I think that’s something which is quite evident for all of us to see. And it’s amazing to watch for all of us, I’d say,” he said when asked which attribute of Suthar had impressed him the most.
While Suthar shone with the ball, Sundar himself made a valuable contribution with the bat. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 52, helping India stretch their advantage after centuries from captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant also made significant contributions.
Sundar, however, said his focus remains on fulfilling whatever role the team requires rather than settling into a particular batting position.
“Honestly, it’s not like that for me. For me, whatever the team demands and wherever I need to play so that obviously the team benefits and we win a lot of games, that’s more important to me. And that’s what I’ve been looking to do also. Try and understand situations, obviously conditions in different test matches that we play and play the role that I need to play in that situation in that game,” he stated.
The 25-year-old also spoke about the adjustments required to switch from the IPL to Test cricket, having featured in Gujarat Titans’ run to the IPL final before joining the national side.
“I’d say there was a lot of preparation that needed to be done mentally also. And once that mental shift happened, it’s all about just execution and playing some quantity of balls and prep also. So, I think all of it panned out really well just before the test match and I’m really happy with the way it went for all of us,” Sundar mentioned.
–IANS
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