NEW DELHI: Manav Suthar etched his name into the record books on Wednesday, becoming the youngest Indian to claim a 10-wicket haul in an away Test as his match-winning performance helped India beat Sri Lanka in Galle and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.Suthar, aged 24 years and 16 days, followed his first-innings figures of 4/76 with a superb 6/55 in the second innings to finish with 10 wickets in the match. He became only the seventh Indian spinner to take a 10-wicket match haul in an away Test, joining an elite list featuring Ravichandran Ashwin, Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.More significantly, Suthar is the only Indian in that group to achieve the feat before turning 28.
Suthar joins elite company, sets multiple records
The left-arm spinner’s performance also placed him among a select group of Indian bowlers to produce multiple five-wicket hauls in their first two Tests. Suthar now has two such hauls, joining Narendra Hirwani (three), Axar Patel (three), Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (two) and Mohammad Nissar (two).He also became only the fourth Indian to claim a maiden 10-wicket match haul within his first two Tests. Hirwani remains the quickest, having taken 16 wickets on debut against the West Indies in Chennai in 1988, while Sivaramakrishnan and Axar Patel also achieved the feat in their first two matches.Suthar’s 10 wickets were especially significant given that he was the junior-most of India’s three left-arm spinners in Galle. Yet, he comfortably outbowled his more experienced teammates to emerge as the chief architect of India’s victory.His performance also added to a remarkable record in India-Sri Lanka Tests. Suthar became only the fourth Indian to take a 10-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, after Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin. Three of the eight 10-wicket hauls recorded by Indians against Sri Lanka have now come in Galle.
Gill hails ‘very promising’ Suthar
India’s victory earned them 12 crucial World Test Championship points and put them 1-0 ahead in the series. The result was also particularly significant as it came in India’s 600th Test.Captain Shubman Gill was full of praise for Suthar after the youngster’s match-winning effort.“He’s been bowling magnificently, even in the first match that he played in India (vs Afghanistan), and in this match. He looks like a very promising guy and someone who can play for India for a very long time,” Gill said.The celebrations inside the Indian dressing room reflected Suthar’s contribution. Players fist-pumped and exchanged hugs after securing the win, with the match ball receiving plenty of attention.Suthar was later congratulated by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and the rest of his teammates before collecting the match ball and raising it towards the cameras.India also found another major positive in Devdutt Padikkal, who made an assured comeback and batted almost faultlessly across both innings. Sri Lanka had their own bright spots, with 25-year-olds Keshara Nuwantha and Sonal Dinusha standing out. The off-spinner bowled with spirit after a difficult opening day, while Dinusha was Sri Lanka’s best batter in both innings.Sri Lanka’s wait for a Test victory over India has now stretched to 11 matches, including nine defeats. The series will now move to Colombo, where the second and final Test begins on August 23.
