He bowled exceptionally well in the second Test in Rawalpindi.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj made a stunning return to Test cricket after recovering from a groin injury, which forced him to miss the opening game against Pakistan. However, he bowled exceptionally well in the first innings of the second Test in Rawalpindi, underscoring his value in the team again.
Maharaj took seven wickets for 102 runs in 42.4 overs to restrict Pakistan to 333 when they were on track to get a lot more in the first innings. His spell included big wickets of Shan Masood (87), Babar Azam (16), and Saud Shakeel (66), as he weaved his magic on a helpful deck.
These were his fourth-best Test innings figures, and Maharaj took seven or more wickets for the fourth time in his career. He also registered the best figures by a visiting South African bowler in Pakistan and the second-best ever by a Proteas bowler against Pakistan in Test cricket.
Overall, this was his 12th five-wicket haul, and he became only the second non-Asian spinner, after Nathan Lyon, with multiple seven-fers in the subcontinent. While a spin-friendly surface, batters had the best opportunity to score in the first innings, but Maharaj churned out a sensational performance in a must-win game.
Undoubtedly, Keshav Maharaj will play a crucial role for South Africa in the India Tests next month and must do the heavy lifting on what are expected to be turning pitches. Last year, New Zealand stunned India by a 3-0 hammering, where Mitchell Santner ruled the proceedings with 13 wickets in the Pune Test.
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Keshav Maharaj is a better Test bowler than Santner and will pose a massive threat to the Indian batters, who can be susceptible to slow bowling on turning tracks. It’s not that they don’t have the game to survive, but such pitches are often ruthless for batters, with a few balls certain to misbehave.
He has an underwhelming record in India, with six wickets at 85.66 runs apiece in three innings, but his most recent outing was in 2019. Maharaj has improved massively as a bowler since and is easily the finest in the South African circuit.
He brings control and repeatability to his bowling, with the ability to bowl longer spells with accuracy, as in the Pakistan game. South Africa have Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthuswamy, but Keshav Maharaj is easily more skilled than both and will pose a Santner-like threat to India in the upcoming rubber.
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