India left Manav Suthar out of their 16-man Test squad for New Zealand, announced on October 16, 2026. The 24-year-old left-arm spinner has 23 wickets in three Tests at an average of 17.34.
The selectors kept three spin options: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep is the only specialist spinner of the three. Only Jadeja has bowled in a Test in New Zealand.
The reported thinking is that New Zealand pitches will help seamers more than spinners. Former India players are not convinced.
Most of the debate is about whether Suthar deserved a seat on the plane. What it misses is that he is flying to New Zealand anyway, and what a spinner learns there can matter more than a cap.
| Series | Tests | Wickets | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs Afghanistan, June 2026 | 1 | 7 | 6/33 on debut, Player of the Match |
| in Sri Lanka, August 2026 | 2 | 16 | Six-wicket haul in Galle |
| Total | 3 | 23 | Average 17.34 |
Murali Kartik said Suthar had been India’s best bowler in recent Tests. He also argued that India could easily have taken one extra player.
“When I saw the squads, I was shocked myself.”
Murali Kartik, virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network, October 19, 2026
R Ashwin said the team management does not plan to play a specialist spinner, and that Jadeja and Sundar were picked partly as batters. He called Suthar an attacking spinner who could lead India’s spin attack. He also warned that the omission could hurt Suthar’s confidence.
“I would have loved to see him in the squad.”
R Ashwin, Ash ki Baat (YouTube), October 2026
Cheteshwar Pujara said Suthar has nothing left to prove in the Ranji Trophy. Touring and bowling in the nets alone would have taught him a lot.
“This was the best opportunity for him to travel to New Zealand.”
Cheteshwar Pujara, Star Sports, October 2026
Abhinav Mukund took the other side. On an ESPNcricinfo show he called it a 50-50 call. He said the likely message to Suthar was to take wickets at home and get ready for the five-Test series against Australia.
“Stay back and prepare for Australia.”
Abhinav Mukund, ESPNcricinfo, October 2026
Insider Read
Sitting out a Test tour of New Zealand is not wasted time for a spinner. The wind decides which end you bowl from, and the grounds are odd shapes with some very short boundaries. A finger spinner has to relearn his angles before he bowls a ball that counts. That learning happens in the Test nets, bowling next to the senior spinners.
The India A tour covers most of that. Suthar will bowl in the same wind and share nets with Jaiswal, Rahul, Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Jurel, who are on that shadow tour to prepare for the Tests. What it cannot fix is the message. After 23 wickets, a young bowler reads a squad list as a verdict, and the only reply he has is wickets for India A.
What Comes Next for Suthar
Suthar will play three red-ball matches for India A in New Zealand, on pitches that may offer spinners little. The Tests start on November 19 in Wellington, and the second begins on November 27 in Christchurch.
The bigger target is at home. The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia starts on January 21, 2027, in Nagpur.
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