Keshav Maharaj Registers Maiden Test Fifty During India vs South Africa 2nd Test 2019
Keshav Maharaj registered his first half-century in Test cricket. The 29-year-old, who a day earlier became the fifth South African spinner to complete 100 Test wickets for South Africa, produced a brilliant knock to bail the visitors out of trouble. The half-century was also Maharaj's highest score in Test cricket.
Keshav Maharaj registered his first half-century in Test cricket. The 29-year-old, who a day earlier became the fifth South African spinner to complete 100 Test wickets for South Africa, produced a brilliant knock to bail the visitors out of trouble. The half-century was also Maharaj's highest score in Test cricket and him there in style by smashing Ravichandran Ashwin for a boundary before taking a double to complete the milestone. His fifty comprised of nine boundaries and he reached the milestone in 96 deliveries. India Vs South Africa, Live Cricket Score 2nd Test Match.
The left-handed came to bat after a top-order collapse. The southpaw joint forces with Vernon Philander who is also approaching the 50 run mark. The duo have stunned the hosts and batted with great resilience in completely different circumstances. Maharaj is also the second South African batsman at 10 or below to hit a half-century in the Test series against India.
Keshav Maharaj Scores Half Century
Dane Piedt, who was dropped for Anrich Nortje for the second Test at Pune, had played a similar knock under similar circumstances to take South Africa out of trouble. In the ongoing series, Maharaj is not enjoying a great run with the ball as he faced a lot of hammering in the first Test at Visakhapatnam. The left-arm spinner also failed to put an impact in the second Test as he took only one wicket in India's first innings.
Talking about the Test match in Pune, India mustered 601 runs in the first innings. Virat Kohli (254) scored his seventh double-ton and also brought up his highest Test score. Apart from that, Mayank Agarwal and Ravindra Jadeja did significant contributions. Despite Maharaj's and Philander's gritty effort, the hosts have the upper hand and are looking all set to seal the series 2-0.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 12, 2019 03:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).