New Delhi: India took complete control of the third Test against Afghanistan, bowling out the visitors for 152 and enforcing the follow-on. The star of the day was debutant Manav Sothar, who rattled Afghanistan’s batting line-up with a brilliant six-wicket haul and put the hosts in a commanding position.Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’, Sunil Gavaskar praised the skill and accuracy of the young left-arm spinner, rejecting the notion that Indian spinners succeed only because of spin-friendly pitches.“People say that a spin bowler succeeds in India because he gets support from the pitch, the conditions are favorable for him. But I would say, against Afghanistan, take the pitch out of the equation. Bowling comes down to skill and control. And that’s exactly what this young man showed,” he said.Gavaskar highlighted Soother’s consistency and ability to trouble batsmen through flight, dip and accuracy rather than excessive turn, adding, “When you’re drifting and can place the ball, you don’t need a turning track to take a wicket.”Also read: ‘Jadeja of Rajasthan’: The making of Manav Sothar, India’s new left-arm spin hopeHe added that Suther’s success was the result of hard work and smart planning, adding that “he was not just lucky, he was smart and accurate.”The 23-year-old all-rounder from Rajasthan returned figures of 6 for 33 in 22 overs, becoming only the 10th Indian bowler and seventh Indian spinner to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut. His performance is now the second best by an Indian on a Test debut, behind him. Narendra HirwaniHe scored 8 for 61 against the West Indies in 1988.Also read: IND vs. AFG | Manav Sothar made history on debut, setting the best bowling record in 38 yearsAfter Afghanistan resumed at 113 for 5, Sattar tore through the lower order, removing key batsmen including top scorer Rahmat Shah (60). Afghanistan were eventually bowled out in 58.4 overs, giving India a massive first innings lead of 412 runs.Soother’s dream debut capped years of strong domestic performances, where he took 129 wickets in 29 first-class matches and consistently impressed with both bat and ball, earning him a long-awaited national call-up.
