Rise of Senuran Muthusamy: An all-rounder South Africa can no longer ignore

Senuran Muthusamy [Source: @ImTanujSingh/x]

It is not often that a cricketer with a stop-start journey finds momentum this late in their career. Yet, South African all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy has begun turning limited chances into performances that now demand the attention of his nation’s selectors.

After making his international debut way back in October 2019, it took him nearly another six years to truly establish himself as a reliable option in South Africa’s Test setup. Making his way to a team that was just crowned World Test Champions, Senuran Muthusamy made full use of his second coming, doing so on tough away tours of Pakistan and India.

Here, we analyse how his late surge, bowling maturity and useful lower-order contributions have reshaped his value in the Test side.

From fringe pick to consistent Test contributor

Senuran Muthusamy made his Test debut back in October 2019 during an away match against India in Vizag. The result? He was brutalized, beaten and flogged around on his way to picking just two wickets in two matches at an expensive bowling average of 90. He then waited nearly three-and-a-half years for his next Test appearance, only to go wicketless against the West Indies in Centurion in January 2023.

---

ALSO READ

Who is Senuran Muthusamy? The Proteas spin magician who ran riot vs Pakistan

---

All this time, the all-rounder also struggled with the bat, aggregating just around 100 runs across six innings at an average of 26.25. More than 20 months later on his Test return, Senuran Muthusamy notched up his maiden Test fifty and picked up five wickets across both innings of the Chattogram Test in Bangladesh to demonstrate first sparks of his true all-round dexterity.

Timeline of Senuran Muthusamy’s uneven beginnings

Shortly after South Africa clinched the WTC 2025 title by defeating Australia, Senuran Muthusamy seemingly became a permanent part of South Africa’s setup, travelling with the national team to Zimbabwe, Pakistan and India on three successive tours.

In the two Tests in Pakistan, Muthusamy bagged the ‘Player of the Series’ award for picking up a sensational 11-fer in the first match and for scoring a gritty match-winning 89 in the second.

---

ALSO READ

Pakistan tour star Muthusamy, World Cup wonder Wolvaardt clinch ICC monthly honours

---

On his subsequent tour of India in November 2025, a place where he made his international debut more than six years ago, the 31-year-old scored a splendid century, his first in Tests as the cricketer finally completed the chapter that he had left unresolved when he first arrived on Indian soil.

Senuran Muthusamy’s second coming to South Africa team

A mature spin option built for Test discipline

The presence of Senuran Muthusamy in the South African Test line-up also strengthens their spin arsenal, especially on subcontinental tours. After failing to make an impact on his debut tour of India back in late-2019, the cricketer made a triumphant return nearly six years later, albeit in Pakistan.

In the first Test of the two-match series, the cunning left-arm spinner scalped figures of 6-117 and 5-57 across both innings in Lahore to bag a sensational match haul of 11-174.

Muthusamy also picked up a match-winning four-fer in Bangladesh a year before, and got picked in the South African playing XI for the series-deciding second Test against India in Guwahati in November 2025, where he teamed up with fellow tweakers Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer.

Senuran Muthusamy’s bowling record in Tests in Asia:

Adds batting depth that strengthens South Africa’s balance

Senuran Muthusamy’s ability of stitching stubborn lower-order partnerships has also proven him to be a formidable batting asset for South Africa. The cricketer has hit three fifty-plus scores already, all in away matches which included a series-saving 89* against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in October 2025.

Senuran Muthusamy followed it up with a splendid century on his very next innings, doing so against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and experienced spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja during his India tour in Guwahati.

Senuran Muthusamy batting stats overall in Tests:

With South Africa evolving into a side that values depth and adaptability on foreign soil, Senuran Muthusamy’s presence offers the kind of reliability that is difficult to overlook. His journey may have taken longer than most, but his performances now suggest a player determined to stay, not just fill a vacancy.

---

ALSO READ

Who Is SA20's India-Origin Star Senuran Muthusamy, Who Dismissed Virat Kohli For His First Test Wicket?

---