Suthar had bagged Player-of-the-Match award on his debut Test against Afghanistan in June.
India's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka is all set to kick-off on August 15 in Galle. It is a crucial assignment for Shubman Gill’s men as they aim to climb from fifth position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings.
With the series around the corner, cricket analysts and former players have started sharing their thoughts on India’s ideal playing combination, especially the spin department.
India’s squad features four spinners – Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain. While Jadeja and Kuldeep are the senior pros, Suthar and Jain are new to the international circuit.
In fact, Jain has earned his maiden India call-up for the Sri Lanka tour. On the other hand, Suthar made his international debut in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June and has retained his spot in the side for the Sri Lanka series.
On his debut against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, Suthar bagged the Player-of-the-Match award for his seven scalps, including a five-wicket haul.
Ahead of his first tour with the Indian team, Manav Suthar received important advice from ex-India spinner Murali Kartik on how to manage pressure and control the Kookaburra ball. He backed both Suthar and Kuldeep to make a lasting impact in the series.
"Suthar has to ensure that he doesn't get anxious. The good thing is that he recently bowled with the Kookaburra ball which has a flatter seam in Sri Lanka for India 'A'. He will need to rein himself in at times," Kartik told the Times of India.
"For me, it's important that Kuldeep is fresh. Because a lot of his bowling depends on his action because a lot goes into it. If he is fresh then, he will have the momentum going towards the batter. Suthar is like a breath of fresh air. Even against Afghanistan, he looked so good even with Kuldeep and Washington bowling from the other end," he added.
Murali Kartik also addressed a pivotal transition period for India's spin department following Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement.
Since Ashwin's departure, India's spin transition has faced challenges. Kuldeep has played only five of the subsequent 12 Test matches, often being benched for Washington Sundar due to team balance and lower-order batting requirements.
"It will be an important series for Kuldeep. Everyone expected that the baton would pass smoothly once Ashwin left. It hasn't quite happened yet. Jadeja is in the fag end of his career. So, it will be exciting to see how Kuldeep and Manav Suthar, who has been seen as the one to carry India's spin bowling forward, go about it," Kartik remarked.
"It will be completely up to him (Kuldeep) to find a way to balance it between his batting and bowling. He is a capable Test batter. He had shown it against England at home," he concluded.