South African all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy scored his maiden Test century vs India in Guwahati, anchoring key partnerships with Verreynne and Jansen to put SA in command. Fans praised his knock, highlighting his Nagapattinam roots in Tamil Nadu.
South Africa bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy anchored the hosts’ first innings brilliantly as he notched up his maiden international century in the second and final Test of the series against India at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, November 23.
Resuming their first innings batting at 247/6, South Africa put India on the back foot at the start of the first session as Senuran Muthuswamy and Kyle Verreynne frustrated the Indian bowlers with their 88-run partnership that took the Proteas past the 300-run mark before the latter was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja at 334/7, a big breakthrough for Team India after South Africa had taken firm control of the innings.
However, India’s struggle was far from over as Muthusamy and Marco Jansen made the most of the remaining wickets, rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries, taking South Africa past the 400-run mark in the first innings.
Senuran Muthusamy Gritty Century Puts SA in Commanding Position
Senuran Muthusamy emerged as the star performer for South Africa in the first innings with his gritty and valiant century knock on Day 2 of the Guwahati Test. Muthusamy walked in to bat on Day 1 when South Africa were 205/5 and remained unbeaten on 25. The 31-year-old carried on his innings into Day 2, displaying remarkable composure, carefully rotating the strike while punishing the loose balls.
Muthusamy brilliantly shouldered the responsibility of anchoring the innings while building a crucial partnership with Kyle Verreynne and completing his half-century in 121 balls, highlighting his temperament and resilience under pressure. After his partnership with Verreynne came to an end, Muthusamy received solid support from Marco Jansen, with whom he forged a quick-running partnership, keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Senuran Muthusamy, who has his ancestral roots in Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, was quite determined to get his maiden international century on Indian soil. The all-rounder was batting on 99 when he took two runs off Mohammed Siraj in the 135th over of South Africa’s first innings batting. Muthusamy’s century received applause not only from his teammates in the dressing room but also from the Guwahati crowd.
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Senuran Muthusamy’s century and his 97-run partnership with Marco Jansen put South Africa in a commanding position, leaving India on the back foot and struggling to find breakthroughs as the visitors steadily built a formidable first-innings total. Muthusamy’s stay at the crease was frustrating the Indian bowlers as he repeatedly punished loose deliveries, rotated the strike with ease and refused to offer any easy wicket.
However, the 31-year-old’s long stay at the crease came to an end after he was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj at 431/8. Senuran Muthusamy played a brilliant innings of 109 off 206 balls, including 10 fours and 2 sixes.
Fans Celebrate Muthusamy’s Nagapattinam Roots
Senuran Muthusamy’s gritty century knock in the Guwahati Test garnered praise and adulation as his innings and two partnerships with Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen were crucial for South Africa, helping the team gain a commanding first-innings lead and putting India under significant pressure.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts lavished praise on Senuran Muthusamy for his composure and resilience to complete his century, while others took pride in his roots in Nagapattinam, calling it a proud moment for his Tamil heritage.
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Senuran Muthusamy made his Test debut against India in 2019 and has since cemented his place as a persistent, quietly impactful presence in the Proteas Test setup despite stiff competition.
In his Test career, Muthusamy has aggregated 388 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 55.42 in 11 innings. With the ball, he picked 22 wickets, including a four-wicket haul, a 10-wicket haul, and two fifers, at an average of 26.50 and an economy rate of 3.86 in 10 innings.