Having struggled to cement his place in the national Test team, all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy was relieved to hit his maiden century on Sunday in the five-day format on day two of the second match against India in Guwahati.
Muthusamy took 11 wickets in the first Test against Pakistan last month but was given only eight overs with the ball in the second game (though he hit an unbeaten half-century), and he was dropped last week for the first match against India in Kolkata.
Having replaced fellow all-rounder Corbin Bosch for the second fixture at the weekend, with the Proteas looking for an extra spin option in the bowling line-up, Muthusamy played a key role as the SA team laid a solid foundation in their first innings.
“I was just trying to do a job for the team, build partnerships and accumulate runs,” Muthusamy said.
“First innings runs on the sub-continent are vital, so it was really a good experience, and I felt a lot of relief when I got to a hundred. It was a fantastic crowd here and it was a fantastic day.”
Carrying the lower order
The tourists reached 489 before they were bowled out shortly before the close of play, with Muthusamy hitting 109 runs off 206 deliveries and fellow all-rounder Marco Jansen contributing a career-best 93 runs to carry the lower half of the batting line-up.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the best of India’s bowlers, taking 4/115, while Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja took two scalps each.
At the close of play, India were on nine without loss, trailing the Proteas by 480 runs in their first innings, with Yashasvi Jaiswal on seven not out and KL Rahul unbeaten on two.
Muthusamy felt the Proteas had positioned themselves well in an attempt to secure their first Test series victory in India in 25 years, after winning the opening match in Kolkata last week, but he admitted they needed to hit their straps with the ball to prevent the match ending in a draw.
“Let’s see how conditions change and how the game unfolds over the next day or two, then we’ll have more clarity,” he said.
“I thought the Indian bowlers bowled really well and our bowlers have started really well, so I’m looking forward to what tomorrow promises.”
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