Who Is Senuran Muthusamy? Meet South Africa's Indian Origin Star Who Once Dismissed Virat Kohli On His Debut

Senuran Muthusamy was at his brilliant best for South Africa in the T20I series-opener against Australia in Darwin on Sunday.

Born in Durban, Senuran Muthusamy maintains a strong connection to his Tamil heritage,

Senuran Muthusamy was at his brilliant best for South Africa in the T20I series-opener against Australia in Darwin on Sunday. Playing just his fourth T20I, the 31-year-old returned figures of 1/24 to cap off a brilliant bowling performance. The all-rounder dismissed the dangerous Josh Inglis for a duck after South Africa opted to bowl in the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. His spell helped South Africa restrict Australia to 178 in 20 overs, despite Tim David's 52-ball 83. Chasing 179, South Africa were restricted to 161/9, as Australia won the match by 17 runs.

Who is Senuran Muthusamy?

Senuran Muthusamy was born on 22 February 1994 in Durban, Natal Province, South Africa to parents of Indian origin. However, he maintains a strong connection to his Tamil heritage, with some of his family members still residing in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.

He completed his schooling at Clifton College, before he went on to pursue a bachelor's degree in social science from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, specialising in media and marketing. Muthusamy was introduced to cricket at a very young age while growing up in Durban, where he began to impress in local tournaments and school matches. 

He played for the Kwa-Zulu Natal province from Under-11 to Under-19 level, but remained hesitant to believe he could turn professional. However, his commitment to improving his game led him to represent South Africa at the Under-19 level. In 2015-16, he was signed by the Dolphins as a top-order batter ahead of the season.

Despite smashing a career-best 181 against the Knights in January 2017, he time as a top-order batter was shortlived. "His batting just dropped off a bit but his bowling went to another level," Imraan Khan, Muthusamy's former team-mate, told ESPNcricinfo in 2019.

Muthusamy impressive show with the ball earned him a debut Test call up for the away series in India, where he went on to make his first appearance during a game in Visakhapatnam. In the match, he took his first Test match wicket, dismissing none other than the then India skipper Virat Kohli, caught and bowled.

However, Muthusamy has struggled to solidify his place in the team, owing to fierce competition in the South African cricket landscape, with the likes of Keshav Maharaj showing no signs of slowing down.

Muthusamy was part of South Africa's WTC 2025 winning squad, but didn't feature in the match.