Maharaj will be a threat to India too: Powar

MUMBAI: Even as his team continues to grapple with the problem of playing spin in the subcontinent, a South African seems have to cracked the art of bowling in this part of the world. On Saturday, Keshav Maharaj took a record haul of nine for 129 during the second Test in Sri Lanka's first innings at the SSC to record the second-best bowling figures ever by a South African bowler behind Hugh Tayfield's nine for 113 against England way back in 1956-57.
These are also the best bowling figures achieved by a South African bowler since their readmission to Test cricket in 1991, and the best by a Proteas bowler overseas. Apart from Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, Maharaj is the only left-arm spinner to have picked up nine wickets in a Test innings.
Interestingly, Maharaj's 'royal' performance, amidst his team's woeful show in Lanka, had an Indian connection. In May, the 28-year-old was part of a 16-player squad which visited Mumbai for a week-long camp for spinners, organised by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to prepare for the Sri Lankan tour. Apart from Maharaj, those travelling with the team were SA internationals Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt and Tabraiz Shamsi, and accompanying them were national coach Russell Domingo and batting coach Neil McKenzie.
During that week, Maharaj & Co trained at DY Patil, PJ Hindu Gymkhana and the MIG Club in Bandra- three different types of wickets and grounds in the city.
Watching them at practice were former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar, wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe, and Vinayak Samant, who's now the Mumbai coach.
While he didn't get to see Maharaj's performance live, Powar was elated with Maharaj's success at SSC, and promptly tweeted on Friday evening: "Well done @keshavmaharaj16 #preparations#focus #smarthardwork #results."
Now an interim coach with the Indian women's team, Powar raved to TOI while talking about Maharaj. "He's talented. He knows what he's doing. Basically, he's very smart. His thought process is very good. He knows how to bowl on these wickets. He'll be a dangerous bowler when he comes to India," Powar complimented.
The former Mumbai tweaker was all praise for the 28-year-old's work ethic. "I couldn't watch his performance live. I came to know about it later, but I tweeted immediately, because I had worked on him for a week. He's a hard-working guy. He used to bowl for hours together in the nets, and would work on his batting too. He's a tactical guy, who thinks a lot.
Explaining on how he guided Maharaj during that camp, Powar said: "We were working on his strategies. What his field settings should be, what length he should bowl in the subcontinent. He came across to me as a very down to earth guy, who was open to learning new things. He had just enjoyed a good series against Australia at home, where he bowled well.
"He used to pick my brains and discuss field placements and what lengths to bowl in this part of the world. I told him that in the subcontinent, you've to bowl the 'hitting the stumps length,' and not back of the length. You've to bowls a little further up, to encourage the batsman to drive. That length helps you spin the ball and put him in trouble. Here, you can't give the batsmen 'time' to play you. Even Virat Kohli, if you saw the other day, was out to a bowl which was pitched slightly further up."
In 21 Tests that he played in before his heroics at SSC, Maharaj had taken 78 wickets@28.28, with four five wicket hauls under his belt. "We didn't discuss technique much, since you don't do that much with an international player. We spoke about to get 'drift' on the ball. He was able to make the SG ball 'drift' and turn in practice, and was able to do the same in Sri Lanka, even though he's playing with the Kookaburra there."
Powar then repeats that Maharaj is a bowler whom India should watch out for, when they host the Proteas next for a Test series. "He's an interesting guy. He'll be a threatening bowler when we play South Africa next," feels Powar, who also worked with Australia's spinners in a camp at Brisbane recently.