South African spinner Keshav Maharaj is looked at as a test bowler but has done quite well in white ball cricket as well.
A special feat
11 spinners have taken 50 or more wickets since Keshav Maharaj made his test debut. He has the second best strike rate among all of them, just behind Rangana Herath.
This is quite a big feat, especially when you think of the South African bowling line up - you think of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje - basically, a lot of pace.
That Keshav Maharaj has been able to pull off some brilliant performances in the given set of conditions, he has become a permanent fixture of the South African test team.
Words of wisdom
Let's hear from the man himself.
"It's just the feel for me, I think, to decipher whether I am bowling well or not," Maharaj said. "If I'm not bowling a cut ball or anything, then I know I'm in my rhythm and things are going okay, but as a spinner, I know it's just a feel thing. You'll have days when you're bowling well and it just doesn't go your way in terms of outcomes, but I judge myself basically on the fact that I must not bowl a cut ball during my spell. If I do that, I know how well [I've bowled], regardless of what it says in terms of figures."
"Looking back three years ago, I wouldn't be able to say that I thought about being in the position that I am today, in terms of how far I've come along. But yeah, coming from a country of fast bowlers, it is difficult, but I think when you persevere with something you love, you will go places. It's not always the easiest road. You may only get it once, you may get it a hundred times, but you know, you've still got that chance to do something. I'd like to think that, if I can have a successful career in international cricket, it does pave the way for the younger spinners in terms of opportunity coming through."
Rising in stature in T20s
The spinner has come a long way in T20 cricket as well and complemented Tabraiz Shamsi quite well in the 2021 T20 World Cup, bowling at an economy rate of 6.68.
Maharaj played all of South Africa's five matches which clearly suggests that the team management holds him in high regard even in white ball cricket.
