‘Manav Suthar is truly special’: Washington Sundar praises the Indian debutant

India’s Manav Suthar (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: Washington Sundar was effusive in his praise of his Gujarat Titans teammate Manav Suthar, who made an impressive debut with both bat and ball in India. Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar took 3 for 21 and also scored 28 off 41 balls in his maiden Test outing as India took control of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. The visitors finished Day 2 here on Sunday at 113 for 5 in 39.5 overs.“Manav has been outstanding. Those of us who have seen him over the last few years know exactly what he brings to the table, especially in this format. He has great skills and has worked really hard at it,” Sundar told reporters at the end of day two.“To see him come out and perform on the first day at this level for India was really special. Kudos to him. It’s just the beginning and we all expect big things from him in the future,” he added.Suthar struck in his first over when Mohammed Siraj completed a running catch to give the spinner his first Test wicket, with opener Abdul Malik for 16. Suthar then had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught for 12 before dismissing Afsar Zazai in the last over of the day, taking a simple return catch.“Manav has very strong skills as a true spinner. What stands out is how much he can spin the ball and the spin he gets on it. That’s been his biggest strength over the years,” Washington said when asked about the youngster’s growth.“He has played a lot of red-ball cricket in the last few years and has done really well, which has helped him understand the format better. One thing that is very noticeable is the amount of energy he puts into every delivery. His run-up, charge and release reflect that effort. He gives everything to the ball and that is something special to watch,” he added.Washington Sundar, who scored his sixth Test half-century, admitted the pitch was on the slower side and was unlikely to improve.“The pitch is on the slower side and it’s expected to slow down even more over the next few days. There’s not a lot of bounce and the ball tends to stay a bit low,” he said.“That makes the upswing difficult. The batsmen have to grind it out, play a lot of deliveries and build the innings patiently. For the bowlers, it’s about getting the lengths right.“Manav did exceptionally well. He hit the key lengths consistently, not too full, not too short. After a while, that discipline paid off for him.”