South African all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy scored his maiden Test century against India at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday. Muthusamy, playing his eighth Test, reached the milestone in 192 balls.
A century against India
Coming to India and scoring a Test century is never easy. Senuran Muthusamy, who wasn’t part of the team for the first Test, made history by scoring his maiden Test century. When he came out to bat, South Africa were 201/5, with India looking to capitalize on the conditions and bat first on the second day. However, Muthusamy faced every challenge thrown his way, making hardly any mistakes in decision making or shot selection.
India came close to dismissing him only twice: once when he was given out LBW but a slight whiff of UltraEdge saved him, and then when he top-edged a hook off Jasprit Bumrah that landed just short of fine leg. Other than that, he remained in complete control, and has even increased his strike rate since Kyle Verreynne’s dismissal. With his century, Muthusamy has put India on the back foot in this Test, making it almost impossible for the team to lose from here on out.
Muthusamy’s Test career in brief
Muthusamy’s previous best score was 89 not out, which he made against Pakistan in Rawalpindi earlier this year. 31-year-old Muthusamy hails from Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, and made his Test debut against India in Visakhapatnam in 2019. Notably, Muthusamy’s first Test wicket was Virat Kohli. However, being a left-arm orthodox bowler, he didn’t get a consistent playing time in the team due to Keshav Maharaj.
Muthusamy was born in Durban but has family ties to India. His father is from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Muthusamy didn’t get a chance in the first Test, but the team gave him a chance in Guwahati, and he made the most of it.