Pujara warns Manav Suthar: Protect your Test strengths over IPL

Cheteshwar Pujara has urged Manav Suthar to safeguard his natural Test bowling strengths and resist any temptation to remodel his red-ball style for the IPL, after the 24-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner delivered a match-winning performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle on August 19.

Suthar, who represents Rajasthan, now has 17 wickets across his first two Test matches. He became only the fourth Indian bowler to claim a 10-wicket haul in their second Test, joining Narendra Hirwani, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Axar Patel. He is also only the seventh Indian bowler to achieve a 10-wicket haul in an overseas Test, alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

Yes, he might want to play the IPL, but don’t go there. I mean, yes, if he gets the opportunity to play the IPL, that’s fine, but don’t change your strength. I think he doesn’t need to change his bowling much. Just when it comes to white-ball cricket, you need to have that flatter trajectory, and I don’t mind him playing in the IPL. If he plays in the IPL, if he’s successful in the IPL, that is fine, but don’t change your strength,” Pujara said, as quoted by India Today.

What did Pujara observe about Suthar’s bowling across both innings?

Pujara noted that Suthar adapted his approach as match conditions changed between the two innings at Galle. In the first innings, Suthar flighted the ball and attacked when conditions were in his favour. As the pitch slowed in the second innings and the older ball offered less assistance, Suthar raised his pace to around 90 kilometres per hour. Pujara also praised Suthar’s work when conditions were more favourable:

“His pace changed in the second innings. The moment he realised that, when we are looking at his dismissals, the last three wickets which he picked, if you look at his pace, it was a lot quicker,” Galle. We realised that on a slow pitch, once the ball gets old, there’s not much help for the spinners. The batters are having a slightly easier time in the game. That’s why he changed his pace, and he was bowling at somewhere close to 90 kilometres an hour, which is not his strength,” Pujara said.

“When you look at his bowling in the first innings and even while the ball was new, he was willing to flight the ball, put the ball in the right areas. The way he has bowled, I think India has found a proper left-arm spinner who will be there in the squad for a long time,” he added.

Why does Pujara want India to preserve Suthar for Test cricket?

Pujara’s broader concern is that the financial pull of franchise cricket may lead Suthar to alter the very qualities that make him dangerous in the longest format. He called on Indian cricket to think carefully about how the spinner is managed going forward. Suthar played four matches for the Gujarat Titans in the 2026 IPL season.

“Try and preserve him. We have had this discussion in the past that, yes, all the young players might be wanting to play the shorter format, but India should be looking to preserve him for the Test format. For someone like Manav Suthar who is flighting the ball, who is willing to go a little slower, when it comes to red-ball cricket, you don’t need to change that. Don’t change yourself just for the IPL. I can understand, but don’t change your natural ability, which is to flight the ball,” Pujara said.

The second Test of the series is scheduled to begin in Colombo on August 23, with India holding a 1-0 lead after their Galle victory.

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