South African all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, who had a disappointing debut in India in 2019, made a remarkable comeback by scoring a crucial 109 runs against India in 2025. His performance came after successful outings in Pakistan where he took 11 wickets in the first Test and scored 89 not out in the second Test, demonstrating his improved ability to play in subcontinental conditions.Muthusamy entered to bat when South Africa was at 201 for five, turning the situation around with his century. This marks a significant turnaround from his 2019 debut series in India where he managed only two wickets in two Tests.
“My journey’s been unique. Got a taste of international cricket in 2019 in India, debuted here, went back into the wilderness a little bit. Like you say, cricket is such a journey that you just try to take it one day at a time. You try not to think too far ahead. But there were times, especially after 2019, where I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play Test cricket again and certainly not in India after we lost that series,” Muthusamy reflected.“So just really grateful for the support that I’ve got back home, for the people that are really close with me, the coaches, the support staff here, the players, my family back home, my friends. They’ve been incredible.”After his debut series, Muthusamy had to wait four years to play his third Test, spending time in domestic cricket. He has also worked with sports scientist Cheryl Calder to enhance his performance.“Yeah, it’s fantastic, especially having come through to India in 2019 and we lost the series pretty badly. So, yeah, I’ve gone back to domestic cricket and I’ve managed to work my way back into the national set-up and I’m just really grateful for the opportunity to be in India and to put in a performance like that in the first innings is an awesome experience.”Muthusamy, whose ancestors are from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, has never visited his ancestral town, though his mother and aunts have maintained connections with their extended family there.“Of course, I’m of Indian heritage, but that was quite a few generations ago. So my roots are in the south, in Tamil Nadu, my mum and my aunt have been to visit our extended family on that end of India, I haven’t been there as yet.”The all-rounder sees himself as a versatile player who can contribute in multiple ways to the team.“I see myself as an all-rounder, so I try to contribute where I can towards the team’s cause, whether it be bowling spin on the field or with the bat. I just try to add as much value as I can.”He praised his teammates Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen for their batting performances.“With Kyle this morning, it was against a new ball and obviously with a nine o’clock start, we expected it to be really tough and for them to really test us and they did. So, I thought he batted really, really well. That was an awesome partnership to really set up the innings. And Marco was sublime when he came in. You guys know him really well from his T20 exploits, especially in India. He’s got fantastic levers. He’s a clean striker of the ball and he really, really showed his skills today. So, that was an awesome treat to watch from the other end.”
