Ravindra Jadeja hails Manav Suthar's 'dream ball' versus Sri Lanka
What's the story
Indian veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has praised young spinner Manav Suthar for his exceptional bowling on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The major highlights of the day included Suthar's four-wicket haul and Jadeja reaching a milestone of 350 Test wickets. Despite a resilient knock from Niroshan Dickwella and a century from Sonal Dinusha, Sri Lanka struggled against Indian spinners.
Impactful debut
'Dream ball for a left-arm spinner': Jadeja on Suthar
Suthar's first ball of the spell took out veteran Dinesh Chandimal, with the delivery turning sharply and bouncing after drifting in.
The ball landed safely in wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's hands.
In a video posted by the BCCI, Jadeja praised Suthar's delivery as a "dream ball" for a left-arm spinner, saying he personally enjoyed watching it.
Bowling strategy
Jadeja advises Suthar on bowling
Jadeja advised Suthar on how to bowl in Test matches, saying he could see the ball spinning from the front.
He tried to bowl more on the stumps and to left-handers from round the wicket.
"My mindset was that when they were bowling in the first inning, I felt that the ball was spinning from the front as well," Jadeja said.
Twitter Post
WATCH: Jadeja praises Suthar
When the two left-arm all-rounders unite after a moving day in Galle 🏟️😁
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 18, 2026
Manav Suthar 🤝 Ravindra Jadeja#TeamIndia | #SLvIND
WATCH 🎥🔽 - By @mihirlee_58https://t.co/4r7Ml1AjbM pic.twitter.com/w75aatStPm
Match progress
Sri Lanka post 284 in response to India's 462
Despite Sonal Dinusha's maiden Test hundred on Day 3, Sri Lanka could only manage 284 in response to India's 462.
This gave the Shubman Gill-led side a massive lead of 178 runs in Galle.
Suthar (4/76) and Jadeja (3/57) played key roles in restricting Sri Lanka's score.
While Suthar ran through SL's top order, Jadeja dismissed centurion Sonal Dinusha.
Information
Bowling partnership with Jadeja
Suthar had a phenomenal bowling partnership with Jadeja on Day 3. While Jadeja is known to hit one length constantly, Suthar has conventional drift and spin. According to Cricbuzz, the latter had the highest percentage of deliveries with large turn until Day 3.