New Delhi: Manav Sothar made his arrival on the Test stage in style, taking six wickets against Afghanistan in his debut for India at the Maharaja Yadavendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Milanpur.The left-arm spinner finished with phenomenal figures of 6/33 from 22 overs as Afghanistan were bowled out for 152 in reply to India’s first innings total of 564/8. Soother’s spell not only kept India firmly in control of the one-off Test but also put him in the record books.The 23-year-old recorded the best bowling in an innings by an Indian on Test debut in 38 years. The last Indian to better that mark in his first Test innings was Narendra Hirwani, who produced a legendary performance against the West Indies in Chennai in 1988, claiming 8/61 and later finishing with 16 wickets.Soother also joined an exclusive club of Indian bowlers to take six wickets on Test debut. Before him, only Hirwani, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dilip Doshi and Syed Abid Ali had achieved this feat in an innings in their first Test match.Additionally, Soother became the 10th Indian (seventh among spinners) to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut.What made Suther’s effort particularly impressive was the control he displayed over a long period of time. He maintained an impressive economy rate of 1.50, conceding just 33 runs in 22 overs, including 10 maidens. Among their victims were Abdul Malik, Rehmanullah Garbaz, Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Muhammad Salim Safi.After taking three wickets on the second day, Sattar returned to reach the milestone on the third day. His ability to generate flow, extract turn and change his pace constantly troubled Afghanistan’s batting line-up.Also read: ‘Jadeja of Rajasthan’: The making of Manav Sothar, India’s new left-arm spin hopeWhile Prasad Krishna took three wickets, it was Suthar who grabbed the attention with a memorable debut performance. With Ravindra Jadeja entering the final stages of his career, India’s selectors will be encouraged by the emergence of another left-arm spin option in the red-ball format.It was a dream come true for Sattar that started what could be a long international journey.
