20 August,2026 09:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Manav Suthar celebrates the dismissal of SL’s Keshara Nuwantha (his 10th wicket of the match) in Galle on Wednesday. Pic/PTI
[popcorn number="One" desc="No. of Test matches drawn at Galle out of the 28 played here since July 2014" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="7" desc="Manav Suthar becomes the seventh Indian spinner to pick up a 10-wicket match haul in an away Test" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="Two" desc="No. of six-wicket hauls in an innings for Suthar in both Tests he has played so far" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="17" desc="Total number of wickets claimed by Suthar in Tests - the third-most by an Indian after two games; Narendra Hirwani claimed 24, while Axar Patel picked 18" class="Default"]
India's latest Test match-winner, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, has been rewarded for his relentless preparation, with his father Jagdishkumar and childhood coach Dheeraj Sharma attributing his success to his hard work and attention to detail.
Suthar claimed a 10-wicket match haul (4-76 and 6-55) in only his second Test as India beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in Galle on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
Jagdishkumar Suthar
"I feel very proud of Manav's performance. Being his father, I definitely expected a match-winning performance from him and he didn't disappoint. He has worked really hard over the years and is getting the results now," Jagdishkumar told mid-day over the phone from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on Wednesday.
Suthar's father, a physical education teacher at a private school, used to bowl off-spin and represented Rajasthan's U-19 team at the Schools' Nationals.
"I think Manav was just six or seven years old then, but he was equally eager and passionate about cricket. After a few years, I took him to Dheeraj sir for coaching, and he helped polish Manav into becoming a fine India cricketer," Jagdishkumar said.
"Manav was equally good at studies and is a quick learner. He's a sincere, hardworking boy, who obediently follows his coach's instructions," added Jagdishkumar, revealing that his son closely followed former India off-spinner R Ashwin and left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh while growing up.
On his Test debut against Afghanistan in June, Suthar claimed seven wickets (6-33 and 1-29) in New Chandigarh.
Dheeraj revealed that Suthar spent 10 days with him working on spot-bowling [bowling consistently in one specific spot to sharpen accuracy and improve control] before travelling to Sri Lanka.
"After returning from the CoE [Centre of Excellence] in Bengaluru and before leaving for Sri Lanka, Manav spent 10 days at our SK Bihani Cricket Academy.
During this period, Manav would bowl for three to four hours using the Kookaburra ball which is being used for this series in Sri Lanka [in India, Tests are played using SG balls]. He would then bat for a couple of hours. He's a hardworking and disciplined cricketer. He has done his homework well; he went to Sri Lanka fully prepared, and the results are there for all to see," Dheeraj told mid-day.
"I got him to do a lot of spot-bowling. He used to bowl with the SG Test ball for a couple of days and then with the Kookaburra ball. He also batted for almost 10 sessions, facing spinners and pacers bowling bouncers."
Dheeraj believes Suthar's accuracy is one of his biggest strengths. "His hip rotation and pivot are very good, and that helps him deliver the ball perfectly. Bowling on one tappa [spot] is very important, and that accuracy makes him a special and successful bowler. I was expecting him to have such a dominant performance. He bowled superbly. Ten wickets in a Test match is a very big performance. Whatever basics he has learnt over the years, he is applying them now," Dheeraj said.
Interestingly, Suthar joined Dheeraj's academy as a batter in 2014 before developing into a quality left-arm spinner.
"Manav has been bowling magnificently. He certainly looks like a very promising guy and someone who can play for India for a long time"
India captain Shubman Gill
"Manav has subtle variations from the same action, the same angle without changing his arm speed. He's able to bowl slower and quicker as well, then there are just those very subtle variations in angles"
India vice-captain KL Rahul
