Murali Kartik Surprised by Exclusion of Manav Suthar from Test Squad Against New Zealand

New Delhi, October 19 (Daily Kiran) : Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik has expressed his astonishment at the decision not to include Manav Suthar in the Test squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. Kartik believes that Suthar has emerged as one of the best performers in the longer format of the game in recent times.

Suthar has claimed 23 wickets in just three Test matches, with an impressive 16 of those coming during India‘s 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka in August. Despite his strong performance, he has been left out of the squad for the New Zealand series.

The Indian team has opted for three spin options for this Test series. Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist spinner selected, joined by all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Notably, only Jadeja has prior experience playing Test matches in New Zealand.

In a virtual interaction organized by Sony Sports Network, Kartik stated, “The most important thing is that Manav Suthar has been the best bowler in recent Test matches. Honestly, this is quite shocking to me. When I saw the team, I was taken aback. As you rightly pointed out, Suthar has been one of the best finds this season, especially after Ashwin. We have been searching for a bowler who can perform well in Tests for a long time.”

Kartik emphasized that Suthar’s all-round capabilities set him apart, as he not only excels with the ball but can also contribute runs. He remarked, “I don’t just view a player as a batsman. In today’s cricket, you expect players to score useful runs. You wouldn’t want to include a player who can’t bat at all.”

Suthar is now set to travel to New Zealand with the India ‘A’ team for three red-ball matches. He will need to adapt his bowling strategy to the brisk winds and pitches that may not favor spinners.

This year, Suthar took 27 wickets in six County Championship matches for Warwickshire, enhancing his tactical understanding of bowling in foreign conditions. Kartik noted that both Kuldeep and Suthar provide India with excellent wicket-taking options in Test matches.

“I was very surprised he wasn’t selected. I can’t understand the reasoning behind it. It’s not as if you can’t include an extra player in the team. The biggest point is that he is a wicket-taker. Kuldeep Yadav is also a wicket-taker, but his situation is a bit different. Remember the Sri Lanka tour? He played the first Test but was left out of the second. If you look at his stats, he has performed well across all formats. He has faced ups and downs in his career and hasn’t played many matches consistently. Perhaps that is why he wasn’t selected for the second match, especially since Suthar performed excellently at that time.”

Kartik shared insights on how spinners should approach bowling in New Zealand, particularly with the varying dimensions of the grounds and the strong winds typical of the spring season. He emphasized that there is no fixed formula for success.

“You have to play according to the dimensions of the ground. You also need to consider the wind, as it can be quite strong there. The shapes of the grounds are often unusual; many are not entirely round and some are quite small. Therefore, you need to show a lot of courage. Overall, you have to keep all these factors in mind. It will depend on how the pitch behaves on that day. So, one strategy won’t work everywhere. Each ground has its unique characteristics, and you need to be agile and make quick decisions,” he explained.

Only Jadeja and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant have experience playing Test matches in New Zealand. Pant is currently dealing with a strain in his left thigh. Kartik believes this series will be a significant test for Indian batsmen.

“This tour will be challenging across all formats, as you are playing against New Zealand in their home conditions. They always perform well and are in great form. So, it will be a tough tour for everyone. It will also be challenging for the batsmen, especially since there are some young players in the team who will face a rigorous test, and the opposing team knows how to exploit those conditions. I hope they get enough time to prepare for those conditions before the matches. I know it can never replicate the real match situations, but many of these players have played Test cricket for a long time. They are all established players in the Test team, which should give them some confidence before stepping onto the field. However, until you perform at the highest level in Test cricket, it will never be easy. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.”