NEW DELHI: India captain Shubman Gill hailed the “magnificent” Manav Suthar after the young left-arm spinner’s 10-wicket match haul powered India to a 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, saying the 24-year-old looks capable of serving Indian cricket for a long time.Suthar followed his 4/76 in the first innings with a superb 6/55 in the second to finish with match figures of 10/126. It was his second successive five-wicket haul in as many Tests and capped a memorable outing in which he became the youngest Indian to take a 10-wicket haul in an away Test.“He has been bowling magnificently. Looks like a very promising guy and someone who can play for India for a long time,” Gill said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Gill praises Padikkal’s composure
Gill also reserved special praise for Devdutt Padikkal, who was named Player of the Match after making 167 in the first innings and following it with 44 in the second. Padikkal was drafted into the No. 3 position after Sai Sudharsan failed to recover from a big toe injury.“He has magnificent to watch. Important to get hundreds but even after getting a hundred. He got a big one. Being in a competitive match and in a comfortable position…the way he batted and dominated in the second innings, was great to watch,” Gill said.Padikkal finished the match with an aggregate of 211 runs and felt Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinners did not pose a major challenge because the Galle surface offered limited assistance early in the game.“It was a bit of a slowish wicket, was not providing a lot of bite, so left-handed batters were able to negate the left-arm spinners. In the end, it was all about who came out on top with their skillset,” Padikkal said after receiving the Player of the Match award.“The wicket had its natural wear and tear, was a good Test wicket. Turned a lot more from the third day onwards.”
Gill delighted after weather concerns
The victory gave India 12 crucial World Test Championship points and lifted some pressure on the side, although they remain fifth in the standings with 53.33 percentage points. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh occupy the top four positions.Gill, however, stressed that India’s ultimate target remains the WTC final.“That (WTC final) is the ultimate goal. Test wins do not come easy and this one is delightful,” he said.The Indian captain admitted there had been uncertainty over whether weather would allow the Test to reach a conclusion, with rain arriving soon after India completed victory.“It is a very satisfying win for us. We were in a comfortable position, but were not sure if the match would go on (because of the weather), but the team responded well.”Gill was also unfazed by India’s second-innings collapse to 193 as the visitors looked to set up a declaration-style target quickly.“Not really (bothered). We wanted to get (a lead) around 400 in the third innings. Wicket was not easy to score runs at will, so were looking to play more aggressively. We were unsure as to how many overs we would be able to bowl on days four and five. In that process, we lost a few wickets but we were still in a comfortable position.”
