Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has said that what stood out to him about Manav Suthar wasn’t just his bowling, but also the confidence the latter showed with the bat, in the way he used his feet and looked comfortable at the crease, on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan on Sunday, June 7.
Suthar made a brilliant debut as he had the Afghanistan batters tied in knots with figures of 3/21 in less than 16 overs.
Having warmed up with a short yet sweet maiden Test innings, Suthar got into the act straightaway after being summoned to bowl the last over before tea.
“What stood out wasn’t just his bowling, but the confidence he showed with the bat as well, in the way he used his feet and looked comfortable at the crease. With the ball,
he was accurate and put the batters under pressure,” Gavaskar said while speaking on JioStar.
“There was some assistance available from the surface, which he utilised well, but the real test for any spinner comes on flatter pitches where greater variety and adaptability are required,” Gavaskar added.
The former Indian cricketer also lauded pacer Prasidh Krishna for adjusting to the nature of the wicket.
“Prasidh Krishna showed excellent awareness and adaptability in the way he approached his spell. As a pacer, the instinct is often to operate on a shorter length and use bounce to trouble batters, but he recognised the conditions and adjusted accordingly,” Gavaskar said.
“By pitching the ball much fuller, he was able to generate movement back into the left-handers and create genuine wicket-taking opportunities,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar said that Rahmat Shah, who was unbeaten on 43 off 81 deliveries with six boundaries and a six, showed brilliant resilience.
“Rahmat Shah’s innings was highly impressive because it reflected the mindset and discipline required to succeed in Tests,” Gavaskar said.
