Manav Suthar ended the one-off Test against Afghanistan with match figures of seven for 62 and won the Player of the Match on debut. India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak credited the left-arm orthodox bowler’s domestic grind through the year for his giant leap onto the international stage.
“He has been playing for two-three years – India A, India Emerging and all. So, a great opportunity for him and he bowled so well, in fact, he also did well in batting, that is very satisfying. But I feel that the structure of BCCI is such that from the age-group to Ranji Trophy, from Ranji Trophy to the Emerging team, from there to India A and eventually to India, and in between IPL, it is a great exposure for all the players,” Kotak said after India’s win on Monday.
Suthar’s heroics ensured Afghanistan was skittled out for 152 and was inserted again to wipe out a deficit of 412 runs. Kotak revealed that India had pondered batting for a second time but went for the difficult call to bowl again in hot weather conditions for a particular reason.
“If they would have batted till the second session, then maybe. But because we scored that many runs and they got out for 152. I think everyone thought that if they get out before lunch, then try and bowl again. Because there will be a time when we’ll have to bowl 100 overs, 120 hours in one innings or for two innings. So it’s not only about practicing batting. It is also about trying to bowl those longer overs of spin also,” Kotak said.
In the second innings, it was Washington’s turn to run through the Afghanistan batting lineup. He picked four for 36 and might have had a fifer had Kuldeep Yadav not chanced upon wickets off tailenders’ slogs. He also had a fifty from the first innings to go with his bowling effort.
But even for Washington, Kotak highlighted the 26-year-old’s progress through the ranks in India A and the senior team, and how that moulded him to adapt to different roles and positions.
“Normally, he has been batting at seven or eight. The Kolkata Test [against South Africa], because of the wicket and thinking about the left-right combination, he went early. But he has also been around in a system since India A. The first series I did [with India A] in 2019, he was part of that. He is very mature, I feel.
“In red ball, he contributed with bat and ball. So, he is a very useful player. He has got a temperament; what I have observed is, whether he gets an opportunity to bowl or bat, I don’t see any difference in his work ethics or behaviours. There are players who do get disappointed. If you keep working, if you keep working hard for six, seven, or eight years and keep getting mature, I think you will perform,” Kotak said.
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Though a one-off Test against Afghanistan holds no relevance in India’s race to make the World Test Championships final, Kotak said it begins the process of what India wants to rectify after the horrors of the South Africa drubbing last year.
“The one thing we discussed is, obviously IPL just finished, the challenge was quickly getting to the red-ball mode within four or five practice sessions. And certain things we have discussed in Guwahati also, the batting unit mainly. And those things, we discussed again.
“In England against pacers, I think our batters did really well. Against spin in the South Africa series, I think we could have done better. A lot of people say that our batters are struggling against spin, I don’t agree with that. But we did not perform to our potential. So, we observed certain things and we are trying to work on that. And I think this win will definitely help,’ Kotak said.
Published on Jun 08, 2026
