Meet South Africa's Senuran Muthusamy: How single mother's support shaped the cricketer with Tamil roots

NEW DELHI: Ajaz Patel, Monty Panesar and Mitchell Santner are names that induce a sting among cricket lovers in India. Panesar helped England pull off an unexpected 2-1 Test series win in Indian conditions back in 2012/13.

Ajaz and Santner spearheaded New Zealand to a historic 3-0 whitewash in India in 2024. Barring being architects of exceedingly rare instances where Team India's frontier was breached in a home Test series, the men also share the left-arm spin thread, one that has unnerved the batting might.This may well emerge as a point of concern while facing WTC Champions South Africa, considering the presence of an in-form Senuran Muthusamy. Enjoying a second wind to his career, having battled a period of wilderness since dismissing Virat Kohli on his international debut in 2019, Muthusamy's craft has finally begun to hold its ground. The left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, who looks up to Ravindra Jadeja, recently picked 11 wickets in a Test against Pakistan.Muthusamy, a fourth-generation Tamilian, claimed the Player of the Series award in the two-match Test series against Pakistan. The 31-year-old all-rounder recorded career-best figures of 11/174 in the first Test, scoring 89* to help the Proteas pull off an eight-wicket triumph in the second Test. South Africa haven't won an away Test series against India in the 21st century and Muthusamy will certainly be expected to lead the charge in pursuit of a historic triumph, pulling off feats similar to fellow Indian-origin players Ajaz and Panesar.

Mother's strong support after father's early demise

While ever-smiling Muthusamy is enjoying a purple patch, his journey has been full of setbacks, having lost his father at the age of 11. Muthusamy's mother Vani stepped up in this situation, providing optimum support while at the same time juggling her role as the breadwinner."My great-grandparents came to South Africa from Vellore. Senuran's grandfather was a well-known cricketer, encouraging his father to groom him from a very young age to pursue an interest in the game.

From the time he could stand, Senuran was fully kitted out, having throw-down sessions with his father. He would push his grandmothers to do throw-downs, making them even kick a ball. Senuran would tell his grandmothers, 'Don't chuck the ball, bowl it'," chuckles Muthusamy's mother Vani, in an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com."When Senuran's father passed away, I had to understand cricket very quickly. I used to attend every training session and take videos to correct his movements. Senuran was nicknamed Sunny after Sunil Gavaskar at school due to his batting. I would jokingly say, 'I spent a long time working out a beautiful name like Senuran and he's simply called Sunny'" added Vani.While Muthusamy enjoyed excellent familial support, what set him apart was sheer commitment to excellence. The deep-thinking cricketer decided to avoid being average and stand out, pushing past the fatigue barrier."We would practice every Sunday and even during school holidays, due to his focus on improving. Senuran never missed any session, no matter if it rained, was cold or windy. He had to switch provinces as well, involving a total change in lifestyle, which he adapted to.

There have been some lonely nights where he didn't do well, but he had the drive to keep on pursuing his goals," said the cricketer's childhood coach Mark Angel.

Transformation from left-arm pace

Interestingly, Muthusamy started off as a batter who could bowl left-arm pace, transforming into a spinner during the early stages of his career. The South African cricketer further scored a career-best 181 as an opener in a domestic match back in 2017. However, his left-arm spin dominated centre stage that very season, transforming his role rapidly."Not many boys wanted to face Senuran as a pacer but the strain it was putting on his back resulted in coaches encouraging left-arm spin. Interestingly, I spoke to the chairman of selectors at the U-19 school level a couple of days back. We had a meeting where he was talking about how they weren't sure if Senuran would go all the way. It shows that if someone really wants it enough, then anything is possible. You won't find a more hard-working cricketer in South Africa than Senuran," said the cricketer's coach at Clifton College Matthew Savage.

Reality check & Tough conversations

Muthusamy has always done things the hard way with nothing ever easily available. The cricketer had to be patient in making his domestic debut for the Dolphins in 2013. There were several moments of frustration which taught Muthusamy a lot of lessons. However, some tough conversations which led to his transformation into a quality spinner emerged as a major turning point."It is indeed disappointing when you're not called back to the team for almost five to six years.

Senuran realised that he needed to develop his skills at the international level. He started working extensively on his spin bowling with Dolphins coach Yashin Ebrahim. There was also a reality check that he needed to be more consistent as an all-rounder," said Vani.Ebrahim worked on Muthusamy's action, helping him develop into a spinner who could turn the ball well and beat the bat outside rather than just bowling sliders and beating the bat on the inside.

There was specific focus on changing the grip and developing command over pace, flight and control."We had to chase him out of the academy because he'd keep coming back. We had a lot of discussions over his strike rate while at the same time maintaining an international-level batting average. There were hard conversations about bowling as well," said Ebrahim."I had goosebumps and nearly cried when Senuran dismissed Kohli after all that hard work.

We had a few frank discussions even before the Test series against Pakistan. Senuran knew he had to perform with the ball, considering Keshav Maharaj was coming back for the second Test. However, it worked out wonderfully," he added.Muthusamy's return to his land of origin has emerged at the perfect moment with elite form and motivation of sealing a historic high. The Indian team will certainly have their work cut out as they attempt to deny South Africa another priceless moment of much-awaited glory.