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Young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar had a memorable debut as he made an instant impact for the India national cricket team on the second day of the ongoing one-off Test against the Afghanistan national cricket team at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
The youngster looked calm, confident and in complete control as he bowled a match-turning spell that helped India dominate the game against Afghanistan on the second day in New Chandigarh.
Manav Suthar created history with dream debut test spell
Manav Suthar showed great maturity and control over his line and length. He kept Afghanistan’s batsmen under pressure and did not let them settle down. The spinner got his first international wicket when he dismissed Abdul Malik just before the tea break.
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The left-arm spinner continued his dream start in the last session. He removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and later, he struck again on the last ball of the day, sending Afsar Zazai back to the pavilion and finishing with excellent figures of 3 wickets for just 21 runs in 15.5 overs.
His efforts helped Suthar achieve a special feat as he became the eighth Indian bowler in history to take a wicket in the very first over of his Test debut. This rare list includes names from different eras of Indian cricket. No Indian bowler had achieved this feat for 25 years.
Suthar Montu Banerjee (vs West Indies, 1948), Manohar Hardikar (vs West Indies, 1958), Waman Kumar (vs Pakistan, 1961), Chetan Sharma (vs Pakistan, 1984), WV Raman (vs West Indies, 1988), Nilesh Kulkarni (vs Sri Lanka, 1997), and Tinu Yohannan (vs England, 2001) joined the exclusive club.
A dream start continues in white
Wicket number 3⃣ for Manav Suthar
Update https://t.co/Au50EfVM30#TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBANK pic.twitter.com/29ugmUzVZl
– BCCI (@BCCI) June 7, 2026
Manav Suthar reveals the simple plan behind dream Test debut spell
After the stumps, Manav Suthar said that during the spell his focus was on bowling in the right areas and supporting his strengths. The spinner also admitted that the surface was helping, so he just bowled in the right areas and bowled the right lengths as consistently as possible.
“There was some help from the wicket and my strength is to get the ball to turn. So, my aim was to get as much turn as possible because the pitch was helping. Also, I wanted to bowl in good areas and bowl the ideal length consistently because that’s where the help was coming from. That was my entire focus,” Suthar told broadcasters as quoted by Cricbuzz.
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Manav Suthar talks about his journey and how Shubman Gill helped him
Talking about his journey from domestic cricket to the Indian team, the debutant said that his journey started from domestic cricket, Under-19 and then Ranji Trophy. “It’s been great and very special. It’s everyone’s dream to play for India and I’m very happy to get my cap,” he said.
Suthar also admitted that having already played under Shubman Gill for Gujarat Titans in the IPL really helped him during their first match against Afghanistan. He signed off by saying, “Since we have played together, he understands my strengths and my bowling very well. Based on this, he guides me about field placements, match situations and what lines and lengths I should bowl.”