South Africa require five wickets and Sri Lanka need 143 runs as the second Test heads for a potentially exciting conclusion
Maharaj said his lower-order colleague Vernon Philander (44 not out) kept him in good frame of mind.
Man of the Match for his 113 not out off 111 balls, Shreyas Iyer said, "I am ecstatic. When I went in to bat, I spoke to Ishan and he was of the mindset to take on the bowlers. So we decided to play the ball on merit and see how it goes.
Australia took the upper hand in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's, ending day two on 144-8 in their second innings with a lead of 218 runs after wickets tumbled freely again on Thursday.
Anrich Nortje demolished Sri Lanka with career-best figures of 4/7 as South Africa exploited the bounce on offer to secure a six-wicket win in their T20 World Cup opener in New York on Monday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
South Africa are within touching distance of a place in next June's World Test Championship final at Lord's but must win at least one of their two Tests against Pakistan
Victory for South Africa followed Test success over West Indies in Guyana in August and Bangladesh in a two-Test series in October.
South Africa created history as they defended the lowest ever total in the history of the T20 World Cup.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is looking for his front-line batsmen to score quicker when they take on the West Indies in the second match of their two-test series, starting in Georgetown, Guyana on Thursday.
South Africa host Australia for three T20 matches from August 30 to September 3 and five ODIs from September 7 to 17.
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
England batters look to tame strong South African bowling
Virat Kohli continues to prove why he is one of the greatest ODI batters of all time, moving up to the fourth spot with 747 rating points in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
In eight matches this tournament, Rohit ended with 257 runs at an average of 36.71, with a strike rate of 156.70.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
"I think it was a good trial run. Hopefully, they do progress further in this tournament after the semi-final. We need to just identify areas where we can get better," Maharaj told reporters at the mixed zone on Sunday.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill dethroned Pakistan's Babar Azam from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong showing against England in the recent home series.
Australia bowled out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller's defiant 101 but the chase was not as straightforward as Pat Cummins and his team would have liked.
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between Australia and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday
Paarl Royals is the first time any team has gone unbeaten at home throughout the league phase of the competition
IMAGES from the World Cup match between India and South Africa played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday
Cricket Australia named Bumrah as the captain of its Test team of the year, which also features Yashasvi Jaiswal.
South Africa should have been more clinical in the run-chase against Pakistan during the World Cup match in Chennai on Friday, said skipper Temba Bavuma, adding they were lucky to escape by the skin of their teeth.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 8s Group 2 match between South Africa and England at Gros Islet, St Lucia, on Friday.
Maharaj felt South Africa had improved dramatically in the past 18 months since Dean Elgar took over as captain and that the first Test win was no surprise.
South Africa look to balance last of their World Cup preparations
Rajasthan Royals' star-studded batting will face the serious challenge of decoding Sunil Narine's mystery at Eden Gardens when they take on two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in a top-of-the-table IPL clash in Kolkata on Tuesday.
For the world, it is another victory of a cricket team, but for all those Black South Africans, who suffered during apartheid, it come as a sweet redemption.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Rahul made 51 not out and Yadav, the world's second-ranked Twenty20 batsman, remained unbeaten on 50 off 33 balls as India romped home with 20 balls to spare.
Injury-hit Sri Lanka and South Africa seek winning start to World Cup
Without belittling the poised run of the Proteas, Afghanistan have been the revelation of this ICC showpiece.
From July 2016 to October 2019, in just 1,176 days, Kohli crafted seven double centuries, including six at home. He still holds the record for most Test double centuries by a captain and an Indian cricketer.
A look back at some of the most painful moments when South Africa came heartbreakingly close -- but always fell short -- before finally breaking the curse at Lord's.
Ryan Rickelton posted the joint seventh-highest score by a South African in Tests with 259 as his side ran up a huge 615 before reducing Pakistan to 64/4 at the close on Day 2.
Ryan Rickelton scored a maiden Test century as the hosts finished on 269-7 against Sri Lanka on the opening day
Sanju Samson became the first Indian to hit two consecutive hundreds in T20 Internationals to power the visitors to a thumping 60-run victory against South Africa.
Rabada, Boult or Maharaj? Who is your pick?
