"Glad there’s a shift of mindset towards spin bowling"- Keshav Maharaj after super feat against Bangladesh

South African left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has expressed his delight at the shift in the general attitude of the Proteas cricket eco-system towards the spinners.

Maharaj made his comments on a day where he, along with his partner Simon Harmer, ran through Bangladesh's batting unit to hand South Africa a massive 220-run win in the first Test at Durban.

The wily left-armer returned with unbelievable figures of 7/32 in 10 overs, while Harmer claimed the remaining three wickets to bowl the Asian Tigers out for their second-lowest total in Test history.

It's extremely rare for South African spinners to call the shots in a home Test, and that too in such dominating fashion. For Maharaj, the moment was particularly emotional as he had his entire family watching from the stadium.

He also thanked his domestic side 'Dolphins' for their continued support over the years. 

"I am glad there's a shift of mindset towards spin bowling in our country. Very happy for Simon. You can't take Test wins for granted, back to the drawing-room from tomorrow. Both my parents are here, my sister, nieces and nephews, special moment for me. I love playing at home. The Dolphins have been very good for me. I am very grateful to put in a performance for them today," said Maharaj during the post-match presentation.

The off-spinner returned wicketless despite bowling 37 overs in the first innings. The left-hander stated that he took lessons from his first dig; he understood the importance of being patient with his line and length. It ultimately paid dividends for him.

"Quite emotional, playing at home is always special. Glad that I could take the team over the line. It's just about being patient with line and length for long periods of time. Simon provided control, and that helped me. As cricketers, we are impatient at times. The hard work from the first innings paid dividends in the second," he added.

Thanks to a mammoth 220-run win, South Africa has picked another 12 valuable World Test Championship points and moved to the second spot on the table.

They will look to cap off a successful home summer with another victory when they lock horns with Bangladesh in the 2nd Test at Port Elizabeth from April 8.