He still has relatives in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam, but Senuran Muthusamy identifies himself as “firmly South African”, an assessment that would have been reinforced with his maiden Test century against the country of his forefathers.
After impressing with both bat and ball during the recent series in Pakistan, Muthusamy’s exploits in the first Test in India’s North-East would have been a dream realised for his father, a cricket fanatic who passed away when his son was just 11, and his mother, a witness to his rise through the ranks on the back of discipline, dedication and devotion to fitness and his craft.
It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child. In Muthusamy’s case, it takes a family to raise a cricketer, as his grandmother was the one who gave the youngster throwdowns in the back garden, something the all-rounder described to Durban’s Tabloid Newspaper as his “fondest childhood memory”.
This is Muthusamy’s second tour of India and did nothing to catch the eye on the 2019 tour, when he made his debut, other than scalping Virat Kohli as his maiden Test wicket. He is armed with a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Kwa-zulu Natal, with a specialization in media and marketing, so would have, in all likelihood, made something of his life even if cricket didn’t work out for him, But the sport has always been his primary calling.
South Africa’s Senuran Muthusamy plays a shot on the first day of the second cricket test match between India and South Africa in Guwahati, India, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
His century in Guwahati was almost chanceless, and even if it may have caught the Indian team by surprise, it is on expected lines for those who have seen Muthusamy from a young age.
“He had the ability to bowl but his batting was always the main thing,” Imraan Khan, a former teammate at South African domestic level, told ESPNcricinfo several years ago. Sunday’s century was his 10th in first-class cricket, despite being used often as a left-arm spinner.
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He has emerged as one of the key tools for South Africa of late, especially in the subcontinent, but as Muthusamy himself says, “there’s no getting away from that – our origins are in India.”
Despite being born and brought up in the Rainbow Nation, he describes his family culture as “very much Indian” and is fond of yoga and a frequent temple-visitor.
With fellow left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj – also of Indian heritage – beside him, Muthusamy is now one of the key cogs at breaching the Indian fortress, which has for long been considered the toughest assignment in Test cricket.
