Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik expressed surprise over the exclusion of young left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Manav Suthar from the Test squad for the New Zealand tour. Kartik called Suthar the 'find of the season'.
Suthar will join India A for three red-ball matches. He has been taking wickets consistently in both domestic and county cricket.
Suthar began his Test career with a strong performance, claiming 23 wickets in just three matches. Of these, 16 wickets came during India's 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka in August.
Despite his recent form, Suthar was not included in the squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand. This series begins on October 22 as part of India's multi-format tour.
India has instead chosen three spin options for the squad. Kuldeep Yadav remains the sole specialist spinner, with all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also selected.
Among the three spin options chosen, only Ravindra Jadeja has previous experience bowling in a Test match played in New Zealand.
