It is never easy being on the fringes and making a mark in the limited opportunities one gets. Senuran Muthusamy knows all about it.

He landed in India after winning the Player-of-the-Series award against Pakistan in the two-Test series last month, but had to miss the first game in Kolkata last week as the team already had Keshav Maharaj as the primary left-arm spinner.

Though he is regarded as a bowling all-rounder, Muthusamy showed he could be a handy batter as he guided the Proteas in a tricky situation, scoring a maiden Test century here on Sunday.

In fact, it was his unbeaten 89 in Rawalpindi in the second Test that proved instrumental in the visitors winning the game and sharing the honours 1-1.

“It’s fantastic, especially having come to India in 2019. After we lost the series pretty badly, I went back to domestic cricket and managed to work my way back into the national set-up,” revealed Muthusamy. “I am really grateful for the opportunity to be in India. And to put in a performance like that in the first innings is an awesome experience.”