Farveez Maharoof tips Manav Suthar for India debut in Galle

Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof believes India could opt for three spinners in the opening Test against Sri Lanka, with young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar potentially getting the nod ahead of uncapped off-spinner Saransh Jain. India will be without the retired Ravichandran Ashwin and injured Washington Sundar for the first Test, leaving Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the likely first-choice spinners.

Maharoof said Suthar's ability to extract bounce from the surface could outweigh the benefit of having an off-spinner for variation. Suthar claimed seven wickets on his debut against Afghanistan, while Jain picked up seven wickets during India A's tour of Sri Lanka. Maharoof expects India to go into the Test with a balanced attack comprising three spinners and two seamers.

Maharoof also warned that Rishabh Pant remains a major threat for Sri Lanka despite modest returns in the warm-up match. He said Pant can transform a game within half an hour and will be difficult to contain with his unorthodox approach against spin.