By Utkarsh Rathour
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 15 : Gujarat Titans (GT) rising player Manav Suthar has credited senior Indian cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for shaping his understanding of spin bowling in his career.
Speaking to ANI ahead of GT's upcoming fixture on April 17 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Suthar recalled his time in the India A setup and overseas tours to England and South Africa, where he had multiple conversations with the experienced spinners.
The young left-arm spinner said that one of the biggest takeaways from those interactions was the emphasis on consistency in line and length, a key trait both Ashwin and Jadeja have mastered over their careers.
"Yes, I've spoken with Ashwin Bhaiya and Jaddu (Jadeja) Bhai. When I was in the India A setup, and when we went to England and South Africa. Both told me a lot about what should be done in spin bowling, and you need to be consistent when bowling at one spot, which is very important. The more consistent you can be at bowling at one spot, the more it matters. So I've had quite a few conversations with them," Suthar told ANI.
Suthar, who is 23-year-old has a good record in the First-Class (FC) cricket. In just 29 matches and 52 innings, the left-arm spinner has scalped 129 wickets at an average of 25.76. The 23-year-old has picked up six five-wicket hauls and three 10-fer.
Earlier this year, Suthar scored his maiden First-Class century for Rajasthan against Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 match played in Jaipur.
Responding to a question on how much importance he places on his batting during practice sessions, the GT all-rounder spoke on improving his batting, saying that his focus in net sessions is largely driven by match situations.
Like, whenever I get a chance to bat, to be honest, currently the IPL 2026 matches are going on, whenever I get a chance, I try to focus on what's important for the match situation, like the position I bat at. So my focus is to work as much as possible on those things.
"Whenever I get a chance to bat, to be honest, currently the IPL 2026 matches are going on, whenever I get a chance, I try to focus on what's important for the match situation, like the position I bat at. So my focus is to work as much as possible on those things," Suthar said.
Suthar also remained confident about his growth as a complete cricketer, saying he is actively working towards becoming a genuine all-round option in India's white-ball setup in the near future.
"100%. I've been working hard on my batting for the last 3-4 years. So my focus is to be able to contribute to the team in batting as well, which would be good for the team and help the team win. So my focus remains on doing my best in all three departments to help the team," Suthar said.
Manav Suthar was retained by the Gujarat-based franchise for Rs 30 lakh in the previous year's IPL auction.
Before that, the 23-year-old was picked up for Rs 30 lakh in 2025 and Rs 20 lakh in 2024. Earlier in his IPL journey, the promising all-rounder was part of the team's support setup as a net bowler during their title-winning 2022 campaign.
Suthar went on to make his IPL debut for the Gujarat Titans in May 2024 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Meanwhile, after losing the first two IPL 2026 games against Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat bounced back and secured a nervy win against Delhi Capitals by one run and a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants.
Their next match is against the three-time champions KKR at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.