Senuran Muthusamy described his maiden Test century in India as “fantastic” after anchoring South Africa’s first-innings total of 489 on Day 2 in Guwahati.
His calm 109 off 206 balls – with 10 fours and two sixes – marked a significant personal milestone, especially considering his debut tour in 2019 and the years he spent fighting his way back into the Test side.
Asked what the hundred meant in India, he said:
“Yeah, it’s fantastic, especially having come through to India in 2019, and I mean, we lost the series pretty badly. Going back to domestic cricket, I managed to work my way back into the international set-up, and it was really great with the opportunity to be in India. To put in a performance like that in the first innings is an awesome experience.”
Although his roots stretch back “quite a few generations,” he admitted the moment carried personal emotion.
“I’m very, very grateful for the opportunity to play in this Test match after not playing the first one.”
Muthusamy batted with a calmness that stood out on a testing surface.
“I was just trying to do a job for the team and bat in partnerships and really accumulate runs. First-innings runs in the subcontinent are vital. It was just a lot of relief when I got to 100. It was a fantastic crowd today in Guwahati.”
He praised the stands he shared with Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen as key to shifting South Africa from trouble to control.
“With Kyle this morning, it was against a new ball and it was a 9 o’clock start, so we expected it to be really tough. I thought he batted really, really well. That was an awesome partnership to really set up the innings.”
On Jansen’s counterattacking knock, he said: “Marco was sublime when he came in. He’s got fantastic levers, he’s a clean striker of the ball, and he really showed his skills today. That was an awesome treat to watch from the other end.”
Muthusamy acknowledged the challenges of being a spinning all-rounder in South Africa, saying:
“Yeah, it’s tough. Conditions are a lot different to the subcontinent. My journey has been unique. After 2019, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play Test cricket again, and certainly not in India after we lost that series. I’m just really grateful for the people close to me, the coaches, the support staff, the players, my family back home.”
Domestic cricket, he said, shaped much of his development.
“Yeah, it’s helped a lot. I’ve done many years in domestic cricket and quite a few years in the South African A-team as well. I’m a product of South African cricket. I’ve played almost every step growing up throughout the pipeline.”
Reflecting on the disciplined nature of the innings, he said:
“It was really attritional cricket out there, but runs in the first innings are really important. India showed the blueprints in 2019. We’ll sit, we’ll discuss, and we’ll find avenues and find a way from tomorrow onwards.”
He insisted there was no frustration in missing the first Test.
“We’re the World Test Champions. We back anybody who gets an opportunity. I didn’t have any issues with sitting out. We won the game, so it was fantastic – I was overjoyed.”
Coming in at 210 for five, Muthusamy said he leaned on experience rather than panic.
“We knew what we had to do. It was just about finding a way and executing our skills as well as we can.”
He closed by acknowledging his family’s origins in Tamil Nadu.
“My roots are in the south in Tamil Nadu. My mum and my aunt have been to visit our extended family. I haven’t been as yet.”
An innings of resolve, emotion and calm execution – all in his own words – marked a full-circle moment for a player who once wondered if he’d ever stand on this stage again.
