Manav Suthar's Family Skips Live Debut Amid Superstitions and Nerves

Manav Suthar’s debut for India against Afghanistan unfolded with an extraordinary twist. While the young spinner delivered an impressive performance on the second day of the one-off Test in Mullanpur, his family opted to stay away from the stadium during the match. According to reports from PTI, Manav's father, Jagdish Suthar, who previously worked as a Physical Education teacher in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district, traveled to Mullanpur with his wife and daughter Mansi to witness their son receive his first Test cap. However, due to anxiety and superstitious beliefs, they decided to leave before play resumed on the second day.

Jagdish expressed his conflicted emotions, saying, “I can't describe how it felt seeing him get the Test Cap yesterday. However, today we had come back home as we were all nervous and a bit superstitious watching him live in action from the stadium.” Despite the family's absence, Manav made a remarkable impact on the field, claiming three wickets for just 21 runs, putting Afghanistan in a challenging position during their first innings.

As proud as he is of his son's accomplishments, Jagdish remains humble, attributing Manav's success solely to his hard work and the guidance of his childhood coach, Dheeraj Sharma. "It is completely Manav's hard work and the hours that he has put into practice," Jagdish noted. He reminisced about how Manav's journey began with a simple love for the game as a child, playing cricket with friends from a young age.

Reflecting on his son’s development, Jagdish mentioned he never specifically anticipated that Manav would pursue cricket professionally. “When he was around 10 to 11 years old, I had enrolled him in Dheeraj sir's academy. After that, I just told him, 'Whatever you feel like pursuing, do it and I will give you my full support,'” he recounted. Jagdish also emphasized that balancing academics and sports was never a concern for them, as Manav managed to complete his graduation while focusing on cricket.

Despite his rising fame, Manav remains a reserved individual off the field. His father shared that their discussions at home rarely revolve around cricket, although he knows that Manav admires cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin. While the family's decision to leave the stadium early might have alleviated some stress, they surely celebrated Manav's outstanding performance, which left Afghanistan under significant pressure during his debut Test.