Senuran Muthusamy brings immense lower-order value to South Africa with his ability to score runs and taking crucial wickets with the ball.
Senuran Muthusamy was the hero for the visiting South Africa team on the second day of the Guwahati Test after scoring what could be a game-defining century. Having been surprisingly left out of the first Test at Kolkata, Muthusamy replaced Corbin Bosch in the second Test and made an immediate impact on the game.
The reason his omission was surprising was not just because of the spin-friendly track in Kolkata, but because of the all-rounder’s stupendous performance in the series against Pakistan, a couple of weeks earlier. He was the Player of the Series against Pakistan, in which he showcased his all-round skills.
Justifying his inclusion
Before coming into the game, Senuran Muthusamy had a batting average of 46.50 with two Test half-centuries, one of which was a match-winning 89* at Rawalpindi last month. For a batter coming at No.7, an average of above 45 gives a great deal of stability to the side, though these are early days in his career being just the eighth Test.
He has proved his worth before as well, and his performance at Guwahati isn’t a one-off instance. His 98-run stand for the final wicket with pacer Kagiso Rabada proved pivotal in South Africa levelling the series at 1-1 against Pakistan. History repeated on Sunday, as Muthusamy lifted South Africa from 246/6 to a position of strength at 431/8. In the process, Muthusamy scored his maiden Test century and 10th overall in his first-class career. He has repaid the team’s faith in him by essentially batting India out of the game.
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A second coming
Knowing his potential with the bat, especially his ability against spin, South Africa have done well by slotting him in the lower middle-order when they played in the sub-continent. After a poor debut series in India in the 2019 series, where he took just two wickets in as many Tests at an average of 90, Muthusamy, by his own admission, thought his career was over.
His shift towards batting earned him a call again four years later, but his best Test match yet came against Bangladesh in 2024, where he scored an unbeaten 68 before picking five wickets. While he didn’t take further part in South Africa’s 2023-25 WTC campaign, Muthusamy started with a bang in the current cycle.
As mentioned, he picked an 11-wicket haul in the Lahore Test, which South Africa lost, before making a match-winning 155-ball 89* at Rawalpindi. In this WTC cycle alone, the left-hander has scored 215 runs in just four innings at an average of over 70 to go with 11 wickets in 11 wickets. These numbers are absolutely remarkable for someone who doesn’t have experience in these conditions.
The all-rounder gives Proteas much-needed stability, especially in Asian conditions
What is even more special is that he has scored these runs in conditions that are considered traditionally tough for batters from non-subcontinent nations. Technique-wise, Muthusamy appears to be a compact batter who plays spin well and has a decent average of 31 in first-class cricket after 115 games, suggesting that he can handle his own against the pacers as well.
He navigated and negotiated the Indian bowlers – all match-winners at home with great ease. With him and Marco Jansen in the lower middle-order, South Africa have batters who offer a great deal of stability and assurance. With a solid top order and almost everyone contributing, the Proteas side looks strong and formidable across all conditions.
It looks like South Africa may have unearthed a great utility player in their bid to defend their World Test Championship title.
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