Keshav Maharaj back in his ancestral land; family proud

Visakhapatnam, October 4: Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal put the South African bowlers, especially the spinners, under the cosh on Thursday (October 3) - a long, dreary day. But for a small group sitting in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Box at the ACA-VDCA stadium, it might have felt the culmination of a long journey.

Athmananad Maharaj, father of South African left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, flew down to see his son playing his first Test match on his ancestral land. He was accompanied by wife Kanchan and Keshav's fiancee Larisha.

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But it was not entirely bleak day as the left-arm spinner was the pick of SA bowlers taking three wickets in India's first innings.

How big a role did the toss play in South Africa's bowling struggles at Vizag? #INDvSA

Keshav Maharaj 🎙️ 👉 https://t.co/HV5G635rbI pic.twitter.com/JdGyr5J6jr
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 3, 2019

"It was a good effort from him considering Keshav was bowling against some of the best batsmen in the world, who were batting in their home conditions. Keshav was bowling in such conditions for the first time. He will learn from this and will grow as a better bowler," he told myKhel.com.

But Keshav is no stranger to tough times. The Maharaj family has been in South Africa for a while and the surroundings were not really conducive for an Indian family to pursue sporting dreams. There were several obstacles.

"But the South African Council of Sport was a big help and I was able to play in provincial cricket. Keshav used to come with me to the ground and developed an interest in cricket and came through Bakers Mini Cricket Programme to help primary school kids to take part in cricket actively," said Maharaj Sr.

"Then there was a lot of cricket we played at our backyard and soon I realised his skills as a left-arm spinner. It may also have helped that South Africa always did not have quality left-arm spinners except the likes of Paul Harris and Nickey Boje. So, there was some space for Keshav to explore in his attempt to break into the national team," he said.

That moment came against Australia at Perth in 2016. "I never was able to play for South Africa because of several factors but when Keshav got the call, we were thrilled. I dreamt of playing for South Africa but it never worked out but the dream is fulfilled through Keshav. But he is just three years into international cricket and has lot to learn and a long way to go. But I like to think that he is on the right track," he said.

Keshav is a man of varied interest too and takes active in preparing healthy dishes and runs a food blog too. "Yeah, he is a great kid. Family has always been his focus and works hard to achieve his goals. But he has a strong, competitive streak in him once he enters the field that helps his stay over the challenges," he added.

We saw that staying-on-the-task powers in the first innings here at Visakhapatnam. It might not have been the best day for him but better days are certainly ahead of him.