Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes Manav Suthar can be a serious Test contender after the left-arm spinner made an impressive debut in the ongoing one-off Test match against Afghanistan at New Chandigarh. 

Suthar returned with impressive figures of 6-33 in the first innings and played a key role in skittling out the visitors at 152 after India posted a gargantuan score of 564 runs on the board.

The left-arm orhthodox spinner bagged 3-21 in 15.5 overs he bowled on the second day’s play. The Rajasthan spinner then bagged three more wickets in the first session on the third day’s play. Furthermore, Suthar contributed 28 runs while batting down the order and added 54 runs with Washington Sundar.

“What stood out was not just his bowling, but also the confidence he showed with the bat, particularly in the way he used his feet and looked comfortable at the crease,” Gavaskar told JioHotstar.

“With the ball, he was extremely accurate and consistently put the batters under pressure. There was some assistance available from the surface, which he utilised well, but the real test for any spinner comes on flatter pitches where greater variety and adaptability are required.”

The former Indian opener said Suthar has shown the qualities to be a strong contender in the Test format.

“Having said that, this was a highly encouraging debut and he has shown the attributes to be a strong contender at the Test level going forward,” he added.

On the other hand, former England spinner Graeme Swann praised Suthar for having the right control from the get-go.

“Manav Suthar’s performance was remarkable because from the very first ball of his Test career, he looked completely in control,” Swann said.

“For any debutant spinner, nerves are inevitable, but he immediately found the right areas, generated excellent revolutions on the ball, and extracted both dip and turn.”

At lunch on Day 3, Afghanistan were 18-0 while following on in the second innings.