Pujara urges Manav Suthar to protect red-ball strengths after 10-wicket haul in Galle

Cheteshwar Pujara on Wednesday urged Manav Suthar to preserve his red-ball strengths rather than alter his game for the Indian Premier League after the 24-year-old took 10 wickets as India beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in Galle in the first Test.

Suthar has taken 17 wickets in his first two Test matches, including a four-wicket haul in the first innings and 6/55 in the second to complete a 10-wicket match haul in Galle. With his rapid rise, questions about his suitability for white-ball cricket and the IPL have followed, prompting Pujara to offer advice on balancing format opportunities with long-term Test development.

Pujara said Suthar can play shorter formats but warned against sacrificing the qualities that have made him effective in Tests, stating: “Yes, he might want to play the IPL, but don't go there. I mean, yes, if he gets the opportunity to play the IPL, that's fine, but don't change your strength.”

On adjustments Suthar made during the second innings, Pujara noted a change of pace and provided specific detail: “His pace changed in the second innings. The moment he realised that, when we are looking at his dismissals, the last three wickets which he picked, if you look at his pace, it was a lot quicker,” and he added that Suthar was “bowling at somewhere close to 90 kilometres an hour, which is not his strength.”

Pujara also commended Suthar's willingness to flight the ball and attack when conditions allowed, saying: “When you look at his bowling in the first innings and even while the ball was new, he was willing to flight the ball, put the ball in the right areas. The way he has bowled, I think India has found a proper left-arm spinner who will be there in the squad for a long time.”

Match action saw Sri Lanka dismissed for 206 in the second innings after Dhananjaya de Silva and Sonal Dinusha added 95 before Ravindra Jadeja broke the partnership and Prasidh Krishna removed Niroshan Dickwella. Suthar then removed Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumara in six balls and bowled Keshara Nuwantha to seal the victory.

The win was India’s 600th Test and gave them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series; the second Test begins in Colombo on August 23.