Maharaj hungry for more Proteas game time
Hollywoodbets Dolphins spinner Keshav Maharaj hopes to become a regular face in the Proteas Test setup in the future.
The Durban-based left-arm spinner returned to the Dolphins last week after a couple months with the Proteas. The 26-year-old travelled on tour to Australia late last year and played his part in the Test series victory Down Under. He featured in two of the three Tests against the Aussies and picked up four wickets in his debut.
He featured again in the three Test series against Sri Lanka and had similar success against the struggling visitors – taking seven wickets in his two appearances.
Maharaj has enjoyed good form on the domestic circuit in recent years and his Proteas call-up was well deserved. Staying true to his word last year, he focused on his basics which led to some solid performances for the national side.
In an interview with ECRSportswave earlier this week, Maharaj admitted that his elevation to the Proteas has boosted his confidence.
“It’s always nice getting that type of exposure and being there does give you a bit of a spring in your step. It helped a lot,” Maharaj said.
“One thing that was mentioned to me was keeping things simple and that is what I’ve been doing and it has worked for me. I’m not going to deter from that moving forward.”
While the Sunfoil Series enters the business end of the competition, there is still plenty of Test cricket coming up this year and Maharaj is hoping to travel with the Proteas to New Zealand and England.
A couple of big performances in the remaining two Sunfoil Series clashes for the Dolphins could see that become a certainty for Maharaj. Nevertheless, the spinner wants to perform with both bat and ball.
“There are a few technical things I want to work on moving forward with my career, not just for the upcoming series. I really want to kick off with my batting and become a fully-fledged all-rounder in the team.”
Helping the Dolphins to victory in the Sunfoil Series will do wonders for Maharaj’s confidence and the Durban outfit is in a good position to win it.
The Titans could leapfrog the Durban outfit at the top of the log this week as the Dolphins take a break. Whatever the outcome, the two sides meet in a week’s time in Pietermaritzburg, which could be the Series decider.
Maharah says the timing of their break isn’t exactly ideal, but the team is in need of some down-time.
“Sometimes doing less is as good as doing more so I think the break has come at a good time. Hopefully my form will continue throughout the year but I think a lot of the boys are looking forward to a bit of down time. It’s been a long few weeks and we’ve toiled in the sun.”
“The Titans are a good unit and they’ve had a taste of winning Sunfoil Series cricket. But we’re not too fazed by them having a game in hand against us. Fortunately, in our favour, we get to play them in Maritzburg next weekend so hopefully we can get one over them and that will put us ahead on the log.”
The Titans take on the Cape Cobras tomorrow, while the Knights meet the Warriors.