After the 24-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner gave a game-winning performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle on August 19, Cheteshwar Pujara has urged Manav Suthar to preserve his innate Test bowling strengths and resist any temptation to modify his red-ball style for the IPL.
Rajasthan’s Suthar has already taken 17 wickets in his first two Test games. He joined Axar Patel, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, and Narendra Hirwani as the only Indian bowler to take ten wickets in their second Test. Along with Ravichandran Ashwin, Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Anil Kumble, and Harbhajan Singh, he is only the eighth Indian bowler to take ten wickets in a Test played abroad.
What aspects of Suthar’s bowling during the two innings did Pujara notice?
Pujara observed that during the two innings at Galle, Suthar modified his strategy in response to shifting match conditions. When the circumstances were favourable, Suthar attacked and flew the ball during the first innings. Suthar increased his tempo to about 90 km/h as the pitch slowed in the second innings and the older ball provided less support. When circumstances were more opportune, Pujara also commended Suthar’s work:
Pujara wants India to keep Suthar for Test cricket, but why?
Pujara’s more general worry is that Suthar might change the exact traits that made him dangerous in the longest format due to the financial appeal of franchise cricket. He urged Indian cricket to consider carefully how to handle the spinner in the future. During the 2026 IPL season, Suthar participated in four games for the Gujarat Titans.
India has a 1-0 lead following their victory in Galle, and the second Test of the series is set to start in Colombo on August 23.
