Keshav Maharaj (R) of South Africa speaks to media during the South Africa national cricket team training session at Dr. Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA VDCA Cricket Stadium on Septmber 30, 2019 in Visakhapatnam, India. (Photo by Isuru Sameera Peris/Gallo Images)
Keshav Maharaj can be forgiven for saying he enjoys “(going) under the radar”.
It hasn’t been easy being a spinner for the Proteas in the last 18 months.
The left-arm spinner had seemed to enjoy a fair amount of backing initially under coach Ottis Gibson, who had made no secret of the fact that South Africa’s go-to tactic in Test cricket would be a fast bowling barrage.
Nonetheless, Maharaj still played a big role initially in claiming 17 wickets in the 3-1 series win over the Australians and then grabbing a memorable 9/129 in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, ending with 16 wickets in that short series.
Since those heights, the 29-year-old has only played three Tests and claimed a paltry four wickets.
It’s fair to say, he was nothing more than a fringe player in Gibson’s later plans.
Now, in India, he’s back in conditions where his role will be crucial and under an interim team director, Enoch Nkwe, who preaches a more balanced approach.
Maharaj has been dealt a better hand.
Here’s why he can’t actually fly under the radar when the three-Test series against India starts in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
He’s in great form
Maharaj played county cricket this season for Yorkshire and it’s safe to say he was extremely successful.
In just five matches, he scalped 38 victims at a superb average of 18.92, a haul that included two games where took ten wickets or more.
He even chipped in with two half-centuries and averaged 27.
Back in national colours, he bowled an impressive spell in the truncated warm-up fixture, taking 3/35.
“You can only judge me on performances during this series, but it’s nice that people talk highly of you. I’m just trying to do my business and if I go under the radar doing my business, trying to contribute towards team victories and series victories, I’m on the right path,” said Maharaj.
It’s highly unlikely he’ll be a defensive option like he is at home
Yes, there won’t come a time soon when a spinner is consistently regarded as a spearhead of a South African Test attack, but in India’s conducive conditions Maharaj will have the same standing as Kagiso Rabada, for example.
He’ll be expected to take wickets, not just plug one end and hope the seamers strike.
“Look, it will depend on conditions. We don’t know what’s happening to the pitch given the overnight rain,” said Maharaj.
“I’m just going to try to be consistent. If you look at Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, they have variations, but the key is consistency. That’s how they make batsmen uncomfortable. I want to emulate that.”
One can’t emphasise this enough … the pitches will suit him
Even if he’s not going to be used as a out-and-out strike bowler, Maharaj should be in that frame of mind most of the time.
Good spin bowling gets rewarded in India – there’s no better example than Steve O’Keefe’s 12/70 in Pune in 2017, where the Aussies unexpectedly dismantled the hosts.
And one can argue he’s no way near Maharaj’s class as spinner.
“When you come here, you’ve got to expect spin,” he said.
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