Manav Suthar has made quite an early impression in Test cricket. The left-arm spinner picked 10 wickets in India’s first Test against Sri Lanka, which was also just the second match in his international career, and powered his side to a 165-run win in Galle. Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya, himself a left-arm spinner, has said that Suthar has the potential to be the best in the world if he stays consistent.

“He has the potential to become one of the best bowlers in the world,” Jayasuriya told The . “He needs to stay committed to the process, work hard and make sacrifices. If he remains consistent, I believe he can achieve great things.”

Suthar, 24, returned figures of 10/132, with six of these wickets coming in Sri Lanka’s second innings. In the two Tests he has played thus far, Suthar has taken a total of 17 wickets and has two six-wicket hauls, having made his debut against Afghanistan in June.

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Suthar’s stint in the Indian Test team has been a long time coming. He played 31 first class matches before making his debut and had been on the radar of the selectors and team management since the end of Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach in 2024. But playing for Rajasthan, a team that hasn’t been in the top bracket of Ranji Trophy, Suthar didn’t have compelling numbers. However, he repeatedly made Duleep Trophy and India A squads. At different times, different selectors have taken note of his ability to be effective on green tops, slow decks, raging turners and flat pitches. Gautam Gambhir & Co. put their faith in him.

KL Rahul had a front-seat view of what Suthar was doing in the Sri Lanka Test, fielding at first slip. “It’s the subtle variations. The same actions, the same angles. Without changing his arm speed, he’s able to bowl slower, and with the same arm speed, he’s able to bowl quicker as well. Sometimes the angles, especially in the air, when the wind was blowing from one side, he used that drift really well here in Galle, and from there the ball straightens or comes in. Just using subtle variations, he’s able to do that through the day,” said Rahul.