Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has lauded the Indian left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who picked up an excellent four-fer in the first innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka, which is currently underway in Galle.
While responding to a question on his YouTube channel, Chopra has stated that Suthar cemented his spot in the Indian Test team, especially in the Asian conditions. However, he has also clarified that he could be pretty handy in the overseas conditions.
“I will say yes because he is a mighty guy. When he releases the ball, it drifts, bounces, and turns. He dismisses you while defending. When you can make the opposing batter lick dust while defending, and that too repeatedly, that tells you this guy has the might,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“Along with that, he also bats, which means you can keep him in mind even in overseas conditions. I am seeing him as a successor to Ravindra Jadeja because Jaddu will go at some stage, and you will need somebody like him. If I look at him purely as a bowler, I think he is Jadeja’s upgraded version,” he added.
It’s worth noting that Suthar scalped four wickets after conceding 76 runs. Interestingly, the left-arm spinner scalped a wicket off his very first ball, dismissing Dinesh Chandimal. Chopra further insisted that the young spinner can be adjudged the player of the match if he continues in good form in the second innings.
“He has already taken four wickets, and it is not beyond the realm of thought that if he takes five or six wickets in the second innings, he could become the Player of the Match of this Test match as well, because 20 wickets need to be taken to win this match, and to do that, whoever takes around 10 wickets is going to be the frontrunner,” Chopra concluded.
