Who is Manav Suthar? 5 interesting facts about India bowler who took 3 wickets vs Pakistan in Emerging Asia Cup
Young cricketer Manav Suthar has been a revelation for India A in their opening three games of the ACC Men's Emerging Asia Cup. The 20-year-old picked up three wickets in the marquee clash against Pakistan A at Colombo on Wednesday, July 19.
Suthar's outstanding spell of 3/36 in 10 overs included the vital scalp of Pakistan A skipper Mohammad Haris and middle order batters Haseebullah Khan and Kamran Ghulam. The left-arm spinner displayed tremendous poise and guile to reduce the arch-rivals from a modest 77/3 to a disastrous at 95/6.
The Rajasthan-born cricketer continues to revel despite the tournament being his first List-A experience, with six wickets in three games. After picking up two wickets and conceding just 28 runs in his List-A debut against UAE A, the youngster bowled another impressive spell of 1/31 in nine overs against Nepal A.
With an average of 15.83 and an economy rate of 3.27 runs per over, Suthar has been a vital reason for Team India being unbeaten in the competition. His performances in the ongoing ACC Emerging Asia Cup have fans wanting to know more about the youngster.
With that in mind, let us look at five interesting facts about the 20-year-old Manav Suthar.
#1 Incredible Ranji Trophy season during which he dismissed Sanju Samson in both innings of a game
A lesser-known fact about Manav Suthar is his outstanding numbers at the first-class level. Having made his Rajasthan debut against Andhra at the fag end of the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy, the left-arm spinner managed only a lone wicket in the match.
However, Suthar played in the final league game of the season against Services and picked up 4/82 in the first innings. This helped the young man become a sure starter in the following Ranji season.
Manav Suthar announced himself in the 2022-23 Ranji season with sparkling performances with bat and ball. Playing in six of the seven games for his state, the 20-year-old picked up 39 wickets at an average of 20.32 with two five-wicket hauls.
One of his best moments came in the side's second game of the season when he dismissed star batter and Kerala skipper Sanju Samson in both innings. After dismissing the stylish batter for 82 in the first innings, Suthar bagged the prized scalp of the Rajasthan Royals skipper again in the second essay for 69.
The bowling all-rounder was also impressive batting in the lower order, scoring 224 runs at an average of 32, including two half-centuries.
#2 An unbeaten 96 with the bat followed by 11 wickets in a Ranji Trophy game
Manav Suthar's best moment on a cricketing field came in the third game of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy against Puducherry.
After picking up Sanju Samson in both innings of the previous game, the youngster entered the Puducherry game full of confidence. Rajasthan batted first and stuttered to 182/6 in their first innings when Suthar played a blistering knock of 96* from 89 deliveries.
Suthar's heroics led the side to a competitive total of 335. However, the young sensation wasn't finished just yet. With the ball in hand, the 20-year-old picked up an incredible 8/33 in his 17 overs and followed it up with another three wickets in the second innings to propel Rajasthan to victory by an innings and 101 runs.
Suthar finished with 11 wickets in the match to go along with the sensational 96, winning him his first Player of the Match award in only his fifth first-class game.
#3 Gujarat Titans net bowler in IPL 2022
Here's a fun fact: Manav Suthar was one of the net bowlers for the Gujarat Titans during their inaugural IPL season. Despite having limited first-class experience, the 20-year-old had the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the big names such as Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya.
It was great for Suthar to be part of the biggest T20 competition, helping him during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) later in the year.
On his T20 debut, the left-arm spinner bowled impressively, picking up two wickets for only 15 runs in his three overs against Madhya Pradesh. He only played one more game after that against Uttarakhand and was economical in his three overs despite going wicketless.
Although Suthar showed signs of promise, he went unsold in the IPL mini-auction in 2022.
#4 Part of the Central Zone squad in the 2023 Duleep Trophy
Manav Suthar was selected to be part of the Central Zone squad in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. The impressive spinner was rewarded for being the leading wicket-taker from the Central Zone in the Ranji Trophy.
Suthar was expectedly excited to make it to the Central Zone squad for one of India's prestigious competitions.
"Somewhere, I was expecting my name in the squad as I did well in the last domestic season. I was the highest wicket-taker in the Central Zone and that made me a contender for both Duleep Trophy and India A. I am very happy now and can't express my feelings in words," said Suthar.
Although he did not feature in either of Central Zone's two games, the experience gained from being in close quarters with other Indian stars should benefit the youngster.
#5 Leading wicket-taker in the India-Afghanistan U-19 series playing alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in 2019
Manav Suthar represented the Indian Under-19 team in three of the five ODIs against Afghanistan Under-19 at home in November 2019. The youngster finished as the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 10 wickets at an incredible average of nine, despite missing two games.
The series featured several prominent names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Noor Ahmad. Suthar also showed his big-match impact with figures of 5/19 in 10 overs in the series-clinching fourth ODI.
The 20-year also played a lone Test for the Indian Under-19 team in the two-match series against South Africa Under-19 earlier in the year. He picked up four wickets in the match, including three scalps in the second innings.