“One Of Our Toughest Tours”: Keshav Maharaj Eyes Historic Test Win In India

South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj expressed a fierce determination on November 12, 2025, to snap a 15-year drought without a Test victory on Indian soil, describing the upcoming two-match series against India as "one of the toughest tours, if not the toughest" in the Proteas' calendar. The series, part of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, kicks off on November 14 at Eden Gardens, followed by the second Test in Guwahati on November 22, with both teams vying for crucial points ahead of the WTC final at Lord's.

Maharaj, speaking during an online media interaction, highlighted the "real hunger and desire within the camp" to conquer the subcontinent's spin-dominated conditions, where South Africa has drawn blanks in their last two tours—in 2015 and 2019—against a resurgent Indian side that recently held England to a 2-2 draw in a five-Test home series. This visit marks a pivotal challenge for the Proteas, who arrive fresh off a gritty 1-1 series draw against Pakistan, showcasing their resilience by levelling the rubber with a commanding second-test win in Rawalpindi.

Maharaj, South Africa's premier left-arm spinner with 154 Test wickets, underscored the tour's magnitude as a litmus test for the team's evolution under captain Temba Bavuma. "We feel like it's one of our biggest tests. And it will be a wonderful opportunity to grade ourselves, to see how far we've come slowly," he said, referencing incremental successes in conquering other subcontinental outposts like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Despite their consistency—boasting a 61.90 win percentage in the current WTC cycle—South Africa's historical struggles in India, where India's spinners like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have historically dominated turning tracks, add layers of intrigue. The Proteas' squad, bolstered by three spinners including Maharaj and the uncapped Prenelan Subrayen (replacing the dropped Subrayen from the Pakistan tour), aims to leverage recent momentum, emphasising precision and fight irrespective of the toss, as demonstrated in Rawalpindi.

Anticipating balanced pitches rather than the turners that plagued their past visits, Maharaj drew parallels to India's recent West Indies series, where games extended to days four and five on sporting surfaces. "I don't think it will be as spin-friendly as we experienced in Pakistan... It will be good wickets that will deteriorate as the game goes on. So, probably, more of your traditional Test wickets," he noted, praising India's transition under new captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir. Eden Gardens, hosting a Test after six years, promises a seamer-friendly start with its black-soil track offering early bounce and seam movement in cooler mornings, potentially aiding South Africa's pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi before spin assumes control. Guwahati's newer venue could introduce variables, but Maharaj remains optimistic: "They are a wonderful team... I would think that they want to go with good cricket wickets."

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For India, third in the WTC standings with a 2-0 home sweep over a depleted West Indies, the series represents a chance to consolidate under Gill's leadership following his record-breaking 754-run England series. South Africa's head-to-head edge in Tests (18-16 overall) belies their Indian woes, but Maharaj's words signal a Proteas side evolved through subcontinental exposure. As the series unfolds, it pits South Africa's dogged batting—led by Aiden Markram and David Bedingham—against India's spin arsenal, promising a tactical chess match that could redefine both teams' WTC trajectories.

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