India’s left-arm spinner Manav Suthar will turn out for Warwickshire in the next two rounds of the County Championship, a brief move that gives the Division One contenders an extra spin option as the English summer finally warms up.
Suthar, 23, flies in on the back of a headline Test debut against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, where figures of 6 for 33 first up earned him the Player-of-the-Match award and a nod of approval from R Ashwin, who said the youngster was “lovely to watch, took us back in time”. Those seven wickets – and that bit of praise – pushed his first-class record to 129 wickets from 29 matches.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Warwickshire for the next two County Championship games,” Suthar said. “The team have started the season very well, so I’m hoping that I can play a part in helping them in their push for the title.”
The Bears sit second on the table and head to Scarborough for a potentially tricky match against Yorkshire on 12 June, before shifting down to Taunton to face Somerset on 19 June. With the surfaces at both venues prone to offering turn, a second spinner felt like sensible cover.
Performance director James Thomas explained the thinking. “We’re delighted to welcome Manav to the Bears, at a really exciting time for the team,” he said. “We’ve played some good red-ball cricket already this season, and Manav will bring a new aspect to our bowling attack. It shows how highly he’s rated in India after his selection to their Test team last week, so it’s going to be great to have him around the group.”
Warwickshire have not been shy of tapping into Indian talent: Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya and, briefly, Mohammed Siraj have all worn the Bear and Ragged Staff in recent seasons. Suthar, though, arrives with the advantage of match sharpness and a left-arm angle that English county batters see less often since Simon Harmer’s dominance for Essex.
In practical terms the deal is low risk. If the bowler adapts quickly to early-season Dukes balls and the variable northern weather, Warwickshire could well firm up their title credentials; if he struggles, he heads home having sampled conditions many Indian spinners use as an off-season apprenticeship.
Either way, the next fortnight should tell us plenty – about Suthar’s ability to string performances together outside Asia and about Warwickshire’s willingness to stay proactive in a tight championship race.
