Team India’s emerging all-rounder Manav Suthar has bagged the headlines with his sensational performance in the recently concluded one-off home test against Afghanistan.
Having won his maiden Player of the Match award in international cricket, the 23-year-old, in his debut test innings, recorded the second-best bowling figures by any Indian bowler. He trails behind the former Indian legendary spinner Narendra Hirwani’s 8/61 against the West Indies in his debut test back in 1988.
Former England spin bowler Graeme Swann predicted that Suthar could be a perfect replacement for Ravindra Jadeja in the test cricket format. Likewise, former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar was impressed with the youngster’s orthodox spin bowling techniques.
Alongside Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar were the three core spin bowling all-rounders for Team India in red-ball cricket.
Let’s find out if Suthar can be a long-term replacement for Jadeja in the longest format.
Graeme Swann’s Opinion: An Eligible Candidate to Replace Jadeja?
During the media interaction with Star Sports, Graeme Swann explained how Manav Suthar can prove to be an ideal choice to replace Ravindra Jadeja:
“Yeah! He bowled very well in his debut match. Although he may not be as good a batsman as Ravindra Jadeja, his century in first-class cricket should be considered. It would be interesting to see whether the Indian selectors consider him the best replacement in the near future.
Manav will walk into the team if Jadeja decides it’s time for him to opt for retirement. Seeing his performance against Afghanistan, it didn’t seem as if he was playing his debut match. You should trust my instincts.
He (Manav Suthar) is the one born to play test cricket and became the 319th player to represent Team India in the longest format. Kuldeep Yadav handed the left-arm young spinner his maiden cap, which was a delightful moment to watch. The Gujarat Titans’ star spin bowler impressed with his performance at the grand stage,” Swann said.
‘A Very Good Debut’: Gavaskar About Suthar’s Performance
Unlike Graeme Swann, Sunil Gavaskar didn’t make any comparison of the youngster’s talent with Ravindra Jadeja. Rather, he chose to focus on the all-rounder’s abilities while speaking on Star Sports:
“Certainly! Very impressed with his attitude. We are not aware of his batting abilities, but his dedication to show a great level of commitment towards the team was evident. However, he could have batted well like a newbie who compiles enough runs on the board like other batters; unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
Considering his bowling performance, he offered some turns and variations on Day 02. His mix of spin and faster deliveries showed his intent to make use of the playing conditions. There is no doubt that he was accurate with his delivery lengths, which prevented batters from playing aggressive shots and restricted their foot movement while attempting to take calculated risks to score runs.
His fearless approach helped to grab six wickets in his first innings, which was indeed a very good debut to remember,” the former legendary Indian opener said.
Reasons Why Suthar Cannot Be a Perfect Replacement for Jadeja
Although Graeme Swann gave a confident statement, there are reasons why Suthar cannot be an apt choice to replace Jadeja in test cricket. Let’s delve deeper to explore the unknown reasons in detail:
1. Only 6-Fer Against Underranked Team
Manav Suthar registered his career-best bowling figures of 6/33 in 22 overs during his maiden test match. However, it is to be noted that his best performance came at home pitch, that too against an under-ranked team like Afghanistan.
A player of Jadeja’s caliber should be able to deliver competitive performances against stronger teams in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. His real skills would be tested only if he could be a part of India’s playing XI in the forthcoming test series in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
2. Premature Stage Comparison
Having played just a solo test match against a non-competitive team, it would be unfair to label Manav Suthar as the next Ravindra Jadeja, who featured in 89 matches over his 14-year test cricket career.
3. Ineffective Batting Performance
As a tailender, Manav Suthar managed to score only 28 runs off 41 balls (including 2 fours and 2 sixes) in his debut test against Afghanistan, when batted at the No.9 position.
Spin all-rounders like Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel have shown a high level of consistency in terms of batting and bowling in the longest format.
In Gautam Gambhir’s era, only those all-rounders have managed to secure a spot in the playing XI who contributed effectively with the bat and ball.
With Suthar’s exceptional bowling skills and lackluster batting performance, it is unlikely that the selectors could include him in India’s squad only because of his abilities as a destructive orthodox spinner.
Overall Opinion
It is understood that Manav Suthar, despite his outstanding spin bowling techniques, needs to sharpen his batting skills. He needs to come up with better performance as a batsman and bowler in the forthcoming matches.
Exhibiting a better performance consistently than Axar Patel or Washington Sundar could help him to replace Ravindra Jadeja in the test cricket squad in the near future.