Galle, Aug 20 (IANS) India’s young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar revealed that he practised with the Kookaburra ball at home before the Sri Lanka series to adapt quickly to the conditions, and his preparation paid off in the first Test at the Galle International Stadium.
Suthar produced a match-winning performance in only his second Test, claiming 10 wickets as India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the opening Test on Wednesday.
The spinner returned figures of 6-55 in Sri Lanka’s second innings to finish with match figures of 10-101 and help India take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Speaking in a video released by the BCCI, Suthar said he had focused on adapting to the Kookaburra ball following India’s game against Afghanistan and had spent considerable time practising with it both at home and in the nets.
“I take cricket very seriously. My focus is to improve day to day when I go to practice. I practice as much as I can. My focus after the Afghanistan game was to adapt as soon as possible. I practised a lot with the Kookaburra ball. I practised in nets and at home. I was focusing on in-house games. It was very important,” Suthar said.
Suthar also credited India’s arrival in Sri Lanka 10 days before the Test for giving him valuable time to understand the conditions and get comfortable with the Kookaburra ball.
“We came to Sri Lanka ten days ago, and it helped a lot in adapting to the environment and how to play with the Kookaburra ball. I get time to adapt. It has helped me a lot,” he said.
The 22-year-old said patience was another important factor on a Galle pitch that offered assistance to the bowlers. He revealed that he, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav discussed the need to remain patient, knowing that new batters could find it difficult to settle.
“We were talking about how patiently we can play. We knew that it would be difficult for the new batsmen to play on this wicket,” Suthar said.
Reflecting on the victory, Suthar said contributing to the team’s win was more important to him than his individual performance.
“The most important thing is that we won the match. That is the most important thing. I am very happy about that. I am very happy that I was able to perform in the team’s victory. Winning is the best thing,” he said.
Suthar added that starting the series with a victory had given India valuable momentum and a positive rhythm as a team.
“It is very important because you get momentum when you start this series. You get a good rhythm. You get momentum as a team. It helps a lot. Everyone feels good when we win. I would like to say that it is very good. Winning is the best thing,” he added.
Meanwhile, Suthar will look to continue his form when India take on Sri Lanka in the second Test from August 23.
–IANS
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