New Delhi, Oct 19 (IANS) Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik said he was ‘shocked’ by Manav Suthar’s exclusion from the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, adding that the young left-arm spin bowling all-rounder was the side’s best bowler in the longer format in recent times.

Suthar made a dream start to his Test career by picking 23 wickets in three matches – 16 of which came in India’s 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka in August. But he was left out of the squad for the two-game Test series that forms part of India’s multi-format tour of New Zealand starting on October 22.

India have instead gone with three spin options, with Kuldeep Yadav retaining his place as the only specialist spinner alongside all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Of the three, only Jadeja has bowled before in a Test match in New Zealand.

“Look, it’s a tough one for me to be very honest because when I saw the squads, I was shocked myself. Because, as you rightly said, Manav Suthar has been the find of the season, especially post Ashwin. We have been searching for a Test match bowler, and the most important thing is the rationale which is used behind not picking Kuldeep sometimes is that he is not as good a bat as others.

“But Manav Suthar fits that bill too. More importantly, take the batting away. I don’t even look at somebody as a batter. Yes, you do want to contribute handy runs, especially in the modern version of the game because you don’t want any guys who cannot bat. But the most important thing is, Manav Suthar has been the best bowler on view in the Test matches that we have had of late,” Kartik told IANS in a virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Monday.

Suthar will instead travel to New Zealand with the India A squad for three red-ball matches, where he will have to find ways to be effective in windy conditions and on pitches that may not offer much help to spinners.

He also claimed 27 wickets in six County Championship matches for Warwickshire this year, which also sharpened his tactical nous on bowling in overseas conditions. Kartik added that Suthar, along with Kuldeep, gave India a genuine wicket-taking option in Tests.

“I was massively surprised that he has not been picked. So I don’t know the logic. It’s not as if you cannot take one extra player. Also, most importantly, he is your wicket-taking bowler. All the others have been – and Kuldeep Yadav is a wicket-taking bowler. But again, Kuldeep Yadav is a very different story. Think of the tour to Sri Lanka. He played the first Test match and the second Test match, he didn’t play.

“Even in the first Test match, when you look at his numbers, he has got a very good set of numbers across formats. There is a lot of stop-start to his sort of games. He is not able to string together games, or he is not stringing together games. So he was not picked in the second game. It was Manav Suthar (who excelled), and I am a bit surprised because he is your genuine wicket-taking option alongside Kuldeep Yadav,” he added.

On how spinners should go about bowling on New Zealand’s grounds with vastly different dimensions and gusty mid-spring winds in both red-ball and white-ball formats, Kartik felt there was no fixed formula.

“Absolutely. I think you have to play with the dimensions. You have to work with the wind because the breeze can blow. Again, they are very funny-shaped grounds. They are not exactly round. Many of them are really tiny as well. So, you need to have a big heart.

“Again, it’s about working all of that – keeping in mind what the surface is offering on that given day. So, it’s not a one size that fits all. Every ground has got its own characteristics. Every place has its own characteristics, and that’s why you need to be very light on your feet, thinking on your feet while playing in those conditions over there.”

With only Jadeja and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant (currently nursing a left side strain) having previously batted in Tests in New Zealand, Kartik expects a stern examination for India’s batters in the Tests to be played in Wellington and Christchurch.

To counter that huge inexperience, especially with 24 World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake in the race to the 2027 final, the likes of Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, and B Sai Sudharsan have been included in the A team shadow tour, while skipper Shubman Gill will prepare for the series after playing his first three ODIs.

“Absolutely, I think it’s a very, very good question because at the end of the day, we had some questions before heading to England as well. It’s going to be a tough tour across formats because you are playing against the New Zealand side at home. They always play well, and they are playing well.

“So, it’s going to be a very, very challenging tour for everyone and challenging for the batters as well because you’ve got some young guns and guys who will be tested out there, and those guys know how to exploit those conditions. So, yeah, absolutely.

“I hope they get enough time, and maybe between games or before the Test match, they have enough practice time in replicating those conditions. I know it’s never the same as match conditions, but many of them have played Test cricket for a while. They are all established players of that Test team.

“So, that should give you a bit of confidence going into the Test matches. But again, till the time you have not been there and not done it at the highest level, and when I mean highest level, at the Test level, it’s never going to be easy. So, it will make for a good viewing over here,” concluded Kartik.

Watch India tour of New Zealand live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV and Sony Vizha starting October 22, 2026.

–IANS

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