Maharaj hints at what really sparked Eden upset

'It is a different ball game when you come here. The guys are highly skilled, conditions are very different, but, you know, for our team to come a long way and tick the first box of this tour has been a phenomenal effort'

South Africa

IMAGE: Marco Jansen celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Photograph: BCCI

Keshav Maharaj couldn’t hide his pride after South Africa stunned India in Kolkata, reserving his highest praise for Simon Harmer’s heroics and describing their partnership as nothing short of a 'privilege.'

India registered their fourth Test loss at home in a year, losing their first Test at Eden Gardens in 13 years. They failed to chase down the 124 runs set by the Proteas and missed out by 31 runs. A fine performance by spinner Harmer, who took eight wickets, a gutsy fifty by skipper Temba Bavuma and the absence of skipper Shubman Gill due to neck injury made the difference in the end.

Speaking after the match, Maharaj said, "I felt a little bit of nerves. It is hard to catch your breath with that sun-setting, tried to be clear on my plans. Yes, fortunately, I received the reward and made a brilliant catch by Temba (after being first bowled by Axar and then taking his wicket). He was phenomenal (on Simon Harmer). He showed why he's got 1,000 first-half wickets. It's a privilege to bowl alongside him."

Maharaj said that there was "real hunger and desire" to win, and the 1-1 draw against Pakistan in Pakistan set them well for the tour and gave them confidence.

"We know the task at hand here in India. It is a different ball game when you come here. The guys are highly skilled, conditions are very different, but, you know, for our team to come a long way and tick the first box of this tour has been a phenomenal effort. I think we know there is always a ball with your name on it, so consistency is key, and Simon showed it a lot better than I did in this Test, but also the fact that Temba showed us and gave us the field sets to allow us to ball the way we wanted to, one must give a lot of credit to him as well. Like I said, it's probably the one assignment that we had not ticked from a box perspective (a Test win in India), but, you know, it is our first leg forward, we can be really, really, really proud of what we have achieved today," he concluded.

Harmer got the 'Player of the Match' award.