Aug 20, 2026, 06:17 IST
Manav Suthar scripted a remarkable piece of Indian Test history on Wednesday (August 19), becoming the first spinner and only the second Indian cricketer to claim a five-wicket haul in both his first home and first away Tests.The 24-year-old Rajasthan spinner had announced himself on the international stage on his Test debut against Afghanistan in Mullanpur on June 6, 2026, taking six wickets in the first innings. He continued his impressive start on his first overseas assignment against Sri Lanka in Galle, where he finished with 10 wickets across the Test played from August 15 to 19.Suthar returned figures of 4 for 76 in Sri Lanka’s first innings before producing a match-defining spell in the second innings. He picked up six wickets for just 55 runs as India completed a 165-run victory.His achievement puts him in an exclusive club that previously had only one member.Mohammad Nisar was the first Indian to accomplish the feat. Nisar made his Test debut against England at Lord’s on June 25, 1932, and took 5 for 93 in the first innings. He went on to become the first Indian bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in Test cricket.Nisar’s first home Test came against England in Mumbai from December 15, 1933. He again produced a five-wicket haul, finishing with 5 for 90 in the first innings.For 94 years, no other Indian had managed to take five wickets in both his first home and first away Tests. Suthar has now matched Nisar’s rare achievement.His performance in Galle also placed him alongside two of India’s most successful Test spinners. By taking six wickets in the second innings, Suthar became only the third Indian to claim a six-wicket haul in a Test innings in Sri Lanka, following Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh.Suthar ended the match with outstanding figures of 10 for 131 from 54.2 overs. In the process, he broke Harbhajan’s record for the best bowling figures by an Indian in a Test played in Sri Lanka.Harbhajan had taken 10 for 153 in Galle during the July-August 2008 Test.Suthar also became the youngest Indian to claim a 10-wicket haul in a Test match. He is now the third Indian after Harbhajan and Ashwin to take 10 wickets in a Test in Sri Lanka.However, the overall record for the best match figures by a visiting bowler in Sri Lanka remains with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj. The left-arm spinner took 12 for 283 against Sri Lanka in the July 2018 Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.At just 24, Suthar has already made his mark in several statistical record books, with his breakthrough performance in Galle adding another significant chapter to his young Test career.
