Life has indeed come a full circle for Senuran Muthusamy.
In 2019, during a forgettable debut series in India when he got just two wickets in two Tests, the South African all-rounder of Indian descent reckoned that his career was as good as over and he will never ever play a game in this country.
Cut to 2025, Muthusamy has cracked the code of the sub-continent after an impactful performance in Pakistan, where he scalped 11 wickets in the first Test and 89 not out in second Test.
Now he is cherishing the best day of his career with a game-changing 109 against India while coming in at a not-so-comfortable 201 for five.
“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 said, making no bones about where he stood in his career six years back.
“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.” Muthusamy has also worked with sports scientist Cheryl Calder and that has also helped in enhancing his performance.
Story continues below this ad
After his debut series in 2019, he had to wait for another four years to play his third Test and all this time he has gone through the hard grind of domestic cricket.
“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.” His ancestors hail from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and he has never been there although his mother and aunts have been to their native town.
“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.” Muthusamy views himself as an all-rounder, who would like to add value to the team in any department that he plays.
“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.” Muthusamy was all praise for Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen for their contrasting but effective batting performance on Sunday.
Story continues below this ad
“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 (Jansen) 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,” he gushed.
