Dad’s tears of joy as Kesh lives his dream

Keshav Maharaj knows it is not just his dreams that have come true, he has made Effingham's proudest old ballie feel young again. Photo by: Samuel Shivambu

Keshav Maharaj knows it is not just his dreams that have come true, he has made Effingham's proudest old ballie feel young again. Photo by: Samuel Shivambu

Published Oct 16, 2016

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Durban – Keshav Maharaj’s first cricketing hero was his father, and the son has now reversed the role after his call-up to the national Test squad to tour Australia.

“My dad used to play for Natal B, as a wicketkeeper, so he was obviously the first cricketer I looked up to,” Keshav explained last week.

Athmanand Maharaj used to spend his afternoons throwing balls to his son in the garden of their Effingham, Durban home, honing the skills that would ultimately take him to the highest echelons of the game.

A series of phone calls last Sunday completed the journey from backyard to big time for the softly-spoken Maharaj clan.

First, Linda Zondi called Keshav to congratulate him on his 13-wicket haul against the Warriors in the opening game of the Sunfoil Series campaign.

That wasn’t too much of a surprise, but what followed next was unexpected Sunday bliss. Zondi informed Maharaj he would be out of the country for over a month, as he would be going to the ultimate tour, to Australia.When he phoned his father, the news was all too much.“I don’t think he knew quite how to handle it, so he cried.”

They were happy tears, of course. Proud tears, and tears that justified the decades of early mornings to take his son to school matches, then trekking across the province as he made a name for himself at Northwood Boys’ High.

And, of course, they were tears that recognised that all those late afternoons throwing balls before the call for supper had been worth it.

“He has taught me so much, and told me so many stories about when he was playing. In a way, I guess my career is living out the dreams he couldn’t quite accomplish back then, too,” Maharaj said of his father.

Maharaj is known as one of the good guys in the South African game, and a look at his other heroes in the game emphasises the point.

“I always wanted to carry myself in the same way Rahul Dravid did for India. He was respected around the world, and a great role model. I also looked up to Muttiah Muralitharan, for all that he accomplished, and the way he just kept on going.”

He does throw a surprise into the works, though. “And Herschelle Gibbs! I love the way he played, backing himself whatever the situation. He had great temperament as a batsman, and I try to be as positive as I can when I have the bat in hand,” he pointed out.

His batting has proved an added bonus as he has climbed the ranks, and the Proteas selectors were no doubt comforted by the knowledge that he can handle a willow. One of his career highlights came with bat in hand, funnily enough.

“When we won the RamSlam against the Cobras in 2014, I hit Jacques Kallis for six,” he recalled.It was desperately late in the Dolphins innings, but that slap over point was to prove crucial, as the Dolphins won by the narrowest of margins. Like the rest of his mates, that day is very dear to Maharaj, as it was a first major trophy at franchise level.

“I still have a picture of that shot on my phone, because it was a really special day. The fact that it happened against Kallis, one of the all-time greats, made it even sweeter.”The shot, and the moment, are symbolic of much of Maharaj’s career.

For a long time, it seemed, he was the underdog, punching tenaciously above his weight.“I had always wanted to be a cricketer, and worked towards that. My father, my whole family, always encouraged me and believed in me,” Maharaj explained.

A measure of the 26-year-old’s standing within the Dolphins change room is the fact that they recognised him as the Players’ Player of the Year last season, confirming his growing stature within the team.

He has batted at the top of the order on occasion, and captains haven’t been scared to throw him the new ball to surprise the opposition.

He has taken on all those challenges with the quiet determination instilled in him by his father.Maharaj wasn’t always a spinner. As a youngster of 10, 11, he was a scrawny seamer with ambitions of bulking up and getting quicker.

“I was a fast bowler growing up, but that changed one day at practice,” he remembered.“I was mad about something in the nets, and then decided to bowl spin instead.

The coach didn’t stop me, and said that maybe I was onto something,” he smiled.

Happily, from that momentary huff, he hasn’t looked back since, and now finds himself tasked with being one of South Africa’s two spin options on tour, with Tabraiz Shamsi.

The pair share a bat sponsor, and both have taken a long and winding road to the top. At one point, not too long ago, they were playing amateur cricket, and their franchise future not at all secure.Yet, three years down the line, they have scaled the heights of their dreams, and will go on a trip they will never forget.

Both will no doubt lean on South Africa’s spinning big daddy, Imran Tahir, who is no longer part of the Test side, but remains integral in other formats.Maharaj was close to him during the leg-spinner’s time with the Dolphins, and Shamsi has got close to Tahir in national colours.

No one knows better the challenge that awaits the pair when they land Down Under.In Australia the hosts are back at full strength, and will be a completely different beast from the team that surrendered 5-0 on these shores this week.

Stung by that record ODI thumping, they will come hard at South Africa, and look to target the newcomers.Maharaj is ready for that, though, and has spent much of his career scrapping to defend his corner.

He is relishing the prospect of locking horns with some of the best players in the world, because these are the days he dreamed of, as he was playing imaginary matches at the family home.

From the backyard to the Waca, Maharaj has been the model of dedication and perspiration, and jets off to Australia as a national player today.

“It is a dream come true to be called up for the national side – the proudest moment of my career,” Maharaj beamed.

Deep down, he knows it is not just his dreams that have come so thrillingly true this week. He has made Effingham’s proudest old ballie feel young again.

– The Sunday Independent

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