Manav Suthar revealed that red-ball cricket has "meant everything" to him since he started playing, calling it the ultimate pinnacle of the sport. The 23-year-old left-arm spinner made his Test debut against Afghanistan, earning Player of the Match award with historic figures of 7 wickets, including a stunning 6 for 33 in the first innings. He stated that patience and consistency are the biggest virtues in the format, revealing he even practised with a red ball during IPL matches.

"From the very first day I started playing, and as I progressed through the ranks, red-ball cricket meant everything to me," Suthar told JioHotstar.

"It is the pinnacle of the sport. So, whether I was playing U-19 cricket or the Ranji Trophy, the goal was always to play Test cricket for India. Kuldeep (Yadav) bhai's speech while presenting me with the cap was very motivating. Everyone encouraged and motivated me a lot, so it felt really special. When my name came up in the team, I was practising with the red ball during the IPL as well, thinking about how I would approach things if given the opportunity,” he added.

“I have always focused on spot bowling”, Manav Suthar reveals his bowling strategy in his debut Test match

Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar revealed that his core bowling strategy for his dream Test debut against Afghanistan was to rely on spot bowling and consistently hit the right areas. By focusing on executing his stock delivery with patience and control, he was able to extract a sharp turn and end with a historic seven-wicket haul.

"When they were bowling, a few deliveries were turning. When I was batting, the odd ball was holding up, so I felt there might be some assistance for the spinners on that track. As soon as I bowled my first over, the ball was turning, so I tried to bowl my stock ball as much as possible on that wicket," he said.

"I didn't want to get carried away, but my focus was on consistently putting the ball in the right area. Since the beginning, I have focused on spot-bowling, and whatever consistency I have today is because of that," Suthar added.

He picked up 7 wickets across the match (6/33 and 1/29) to earn the Player of the Match.