Galle, Aug 19: Young left-arm spinner 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 powered India to victory over Sri Lanka and 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 an impressive 6/55 in the second innings to finish with match figures of 10/131 and emerge as the chief architect of India’s victory.
The performance placed Suthar in an elite group of Indian spinners to have taken 10 wickets in an away Test. He became only the seventh Indian to achieve the feat, joining 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 accomplish the feat before turning 28.
The youngster also became only the fourth Indian to register a maiden 10-wicket match haul within his first two Tests, joining Narendra Hirwani, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Axar Patel.
Hirwani remains the quickest among them, having taken 16 wickets on his Test debut against the West Indies in Chennai in 1988.
Suthar’s consistency was further underlined by the fact that he now has two five-wicket hauls in his first two Tests. He joins an elite list featuring Hirwani and Axar Patel, who have three each, and Sivaramakrishnan and Mohammad Nissar, who have two apiece.
Despite being the junior-most of India’s three left-arm spinners in Galle, Suthar comfortably outbowled his more experienced teammates and played a decisive role in securing the victory.
His record-breaking outing also added another chapter to India’s Test rivalry with Sri Lanka. Suthar became only the fourth Indian to claim a 10-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, after Kumble, Harbhajan and Ashwin. Three of India’s eight such hauls against Sri Lanka have now come in Galle.
The victory was particularly significant as it came in India’s 600th Test and earned the side 12 valuable World Test Championship points.
India also found another positive in Devdutt Padikkal, who made an assured comeback and produced strong performances with the bat across both innings.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, had bright performances from 25-year-olds Keshara Nuwantha and Sonal Dinusha. Dinusha emerged as the hosts’ best batter in both innings, while Nuwantha impressed with the ball after a difficult opening day.
India’s victory extended Sri Lanka’s wait for a Test win over their neighbours to 11 matches, including nine defeats.
India captain Shubman Gill was effusive in his praise for Suthar, backing the youngster to enjoy a long international career.
“He’s been bowling magnificently, even in the first match that he played in India (vs Afghanistan), and in this match,” Gill said.
“He looks like a very promising guy and someone who can play for India for a very long time,” he added.
The two-match series now moves to Colombo, where the second and final Test will begin on August 23.
