I was practising with the red ball during IPL’: Suthar reveals how he prepared for Test debut

New Delhi: Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar opened up about the emotions of receiving his debut cap and revealed that when his name came up for one-off Test he started practising with the red ball during the IPL.

India added Suthar to the XI for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur. Suthar, who played for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 under India’s red-ball skipper Shubman Gill’s leadership, earned his first cap from senior spinner Kuldeep, becoming India’s first specialist spin-bowling Test debutant since Axar Patel made his debut in 2021.

“Gautam sir and the skipper informed me that I would be making my debut. It was a very proud moment because, ever since I started playing, it had been my dream, my father’s dream, and everyone’s dream for me to play Test cricket for India. From the very first day I started playing and as I progressed through the ranks, red-ball cricket meant everything to me.

“It is the pinnacle of the sport. So, whether I was playing U-19 cricket or the Ranji Trophy, the goal was always to play Test cricket for India. Kuldeep bhai’s speech while presenting me with the cap was very motivating. Everyone encouraged and motivated me a lot, so it felt really special,” Suthar said on JioStar.

On his very first international outing for India, Suthar carved a piece of history as India notched their biggest-ever win (by margin of runs in Test history. He claimed 6-33 in Afghanistan’s first innings to become only the fifth Indian to pick up a fifer on debut.

“When my name came up in the team, I was practising with the red ball during the IPL as well, thinking about how I would approach things if given the opportunity. After coming here, I had three or four long practice sessions. With bowling, it’s not really about how many hours you put in. If you enjoy bowling, you can bowl 20-25 overs without even realising it. So, the key is to keep bowling as much as you can,” revealed.

While revealing his bowling plans on the New Chandigarh surface, the 23-year-old spinner said his debut wicket will always remain his favourit. “When they were bowling, a few deliveries were turning. When I was batting, the odd ball was holding up. So, I felt there might be some assistance for the spinners on that track. As soon as I bowled my first over, the ball was turning, so I tried to bowl my stock ball as much as possible on that wicket.

In the process, Suthar became the first Indian since his idol Ravichandran Ashwin (2011) to achieve the feat. Only Narendra Hirwani, who claimed eight wickets in both innings against the West Indies in 1988 and claimed with an overall haul of 16/136, has better bowling figures on a Test debut for India.

“I didn’t want to get carried away, but my focus was on consistently putting the ball in the right area. Since the beginning, I have focused on spot-bowling, and whatever consistency I have today is because of that. My favourite wicket was obviously the first one, my debut wicket. It will always remain my favourite. There was a good battle going on, so my focus was simply to keep bowling consistently in the same area,’ he said.

IANS