He completed 100 FC wickets in just 24 matches.
India will host the West Indies next month for two Tests. Though a long shot, the young players are bolstering their case for the Test selection with strong outings in the ongoing unofficial match against Australia A in Lucknow. Manav Suthar, who hails from Ganganagar in Rajasthan, has done exactly that.
Suthar took a brilliant fifer in the first innings of the second unofficial Test. The 23-year-old displayed impeccable skill and temperament well ahead of his age. The left-arm spinner varied his lengths exceptionally well, not letting batters settle down. He kept the batters guessing and quickly ran through Australia A’s middle order. The bowling all-rounder dismissed Oliver Peake, the previous match’s centurion Josh Phillippe, Cooper Connolly, Will Sutherland, and Corey Rocchiccioli to claim his eighth five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. With the fifth wicket, the Rajasthan cricketer also completed the 100-wicket landmark in just 24 FC matches.
Talking about the match, India A’s stand-in skipper Dhruv Jurel opted to field first. The bowling department backed the captain’s decision, dismissing Campbell Kellaway for just nine runs. Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney, who are fighting for the opening spot in the Ashes 2025 for Australia, forged an 86-run stand for the second wicket. But Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar brought India back into the game, dismissing Konstas and McSweeney in quick succession.
Suthar then spun the web and tested the rival batter’s technique and patience. He used his height well, forcing the batters to play false shots. His first spell saw Australia slipping to 150/4, followed by two more wickets in his next spell.
However, all-rounder Jack Edwards struck a quickfire 88 off 78 balls to rescue his side. His knock was laced with 11 fours and a six. Edwards’ innings powered Australia A to 329 before he lost his wicket. At Stumps on Day 1, Australia have put up 350 runs on the board, with Todd Murphy (29) and Henry Thornton (10) unbeaten on the crease. Gurnoor ended with two wickets, while Siraj and Prasidh Krishna have scalped one each.
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The left-arm spinner has been a player to watch out for in domestic cricket since his Ranji Trophy debut for Rajasthan in 2022. In the 2022-23 season, Suthar took 39 wickets in just six matches at an average of 20. He grabbed the spotlight when he dismissed Kerala’s Sanju Samson in both innings. In four matches last year, Suthar bagged 17 wickets, averaging 25.
He continued to put in the hard yards, representing India A in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023, where he emerged as the second-leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 10 wickets at an average of 19.50.
In the Duleep Trophy 2024, Suthar’s spell of 7 for 49 against India D hit the headlines again in the domestic circuit.
Overall, in FC cricket, he is a handy batter too. He had made 734 runs with the willow, with a top score of 96 not out. In the process, he has struck five fifties too.
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