'I take Test cricket very seriously…': Manav Suthar after his 10-wicket haul

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Team India secured a stunning win by 165 runs at the Galle International Stadium near Galle Fort in the first Test match against Sri Lanka.

During the match, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar made crucial contributions to Team India’s success. In Sri Lanka’s first innings, he claimed four wickets for 76 runs in 21.4 overs and returned with the figures of six wickets for 55 runs in 23.4 overs in the second innings.

Talking about his 10-wicket haul, the spinner revealed why this format of the game is very important for him, and how he focuses on improving his game during the practice session.

“I take Test cricket very seriously. My focus is always on improving day by day whenever I go to practice. I practice my skills as much as I can; that is my main focus. After the Afghanistan game, my main goal was to adapt as quickly as possible. For example, the match was with the Kookaburra ball. So I practiced a lot with the Kookaburra ball in the nets at home to get as tuned into the game as possible; that was the focus,” said Suthar in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Rajasthan-born cricketer expressed happiness that he was able to contribute to the team, and revealed the discussions along with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

“There is no special secret; luckily, the most important thing is that we won the match. That is the most important thing, so I am very happy about it. And I am also very glad that I was able to contribute to the team’s victory, so it feels really good. Hundred percent, we were talking about how patiently we needed to bowl, because we knew it could be a little difficult for new batsmen to play on this wicket. So Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) bhai, Kullu (Kuldeep Yadav) bhai, and I were talking about how if we patiently bowl in one specific area, the results will come automatically. It was just a matter of keeping our patience,” said the 24-year-old cricketer.

He concluded by saying that winning helps players gain confidence. “It is very important because it gives you momentum when you start the series and find a good rhythm. You also gain momentum as a team, so it helps a lot. And winning gives everyone a lot of confidence, so I would just say it feels very good. Winning is the best thing. The most important thing is that we won the match, so there is no better feeling than that,” Suthar signed off.

The second Test match is scheduled to be played from August 23 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo.

IND vs SL 2nd Test: Full squads

India: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Vishwa Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Nishan Madushka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Dilshan Madushanka, Keshara Nuwantha.

(With ANI Inputs)

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