"I'll bowl the whole day if I need to" - Keshav Maharaj opens up on his passion for spin bowling
Veteran South African spinner Keshav Maharaj revealed that spin-bowling remains his passion and underlined he is ready to bowl an entire day if need be. The left-arm spinner also disclosed that he concentrates most on Test cricket out of all the formats.
The 34-year-old was superb on a docile Trinidad wicket in the opening Test against the West Indies that eventually resulted in a draw. Maharaj bowled a 28-over spell in the first innings and sent down 40 overall, bagging figures of 40-15-76-4. He also had figures of 26.1-2-88-4 in the second innings, but the Proteas didn't have enough time to force a victory.
Speaking from Trinidad, Maharaj stated that his workload management is as per the needs of red-ball cricket and suggested that he doesn't wish to miss even one Test. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he elaborated:
"My passion is spin bowling. I love it. I can wake up at two o'clock in the morning and if you ask me to bowl, I'll bowl. That keeps me motivated. And also, the desire to want to do well for the team and take this team into a different direction, I'll bowl the whole day if I need to.
"Whatever format I play, I always keep my workloads as if I'm preparing for Test cricket. The only thing that changes is your lengths and sometimes your lines a little bit, but from a longevity point of view, I still bowl my long hours, regardless of whether it's T20 or fifty-over cricket."
Having made his first Test appearance in November 2016 against Australia, Maharaj has risen to become South Africa's No.1 spinner in the format. With 166 scalp, he is only five away from becoming the Proteas' leading wicket-taker among spinners in Tests.
"Draws don't count for much" - Keshav Maharaj
The Durban-born cricketer added that it was disappointing not to get a result in Trinidad and suggested that they will try their best for the same in Guyana.
"It's obviously disappointing not to get a result. We're always going to play cricket to ensure that we can give ourselves the best chance, even if that process dangles the carrot with the prospect of losing a game. Draws don't count for much. We obviously know there's a World Test Championship at stake, but we're focusing on each and every game," he said via ESPN Cricinfo.
The second and final Test against the West Indies begins on August 15 in Guyana.