Keshav Athmanand Maharaj was born on 7 February, 1990. He is a South African cricketer of Indian descent who has played first-class cricket since 2006. He made his Test debut in November 2016. A left-arm orthodox spinner and useful lower-order batsman, Maharaj made his first-class debut at the age of 16 for KwaZulu-Natal in 2006-07. He was promoted to the Dolphins team in 2009-10.
He toured Bangladesh with the South Africa Academy in April–May 2010, taking 13 wickets in the two four-day matches against Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy. He also took 4 for 12 off four overs, opening the bowling, in one of the T20 matches. He played for South Africa A against the touring Bangladesh A team in 2010-11.
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His best season with the bat so far has been 2012-13, when he made 481 first-class runs at an average of 48.10, including two centuries. For KwaZulu-Natal against Northerns he made 114 not out off 119 balls and finished off the match by taking 5 for 12. For Dolphins against Cape Cobras in 2014-15 he took his best innings and match figures to that point: 6 for 58 and 10 for 145. Dolphins won, and he received the man of the match award. He finished the season with 44 first-class wickets at an average of 26.18.
In October 2016 he was named in South Africa’s squad for their series against Australia. He made his Test debut against the Australians on 3 November 2016 and was instrumental in the collapse of Australian batting in the first innings by picking up three crucial wickets. He was the first specialist spinner to make his Test debut at Perth. On 10 March 2017, against New Zealand he took his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests. This is only the seventh five-for by a South African spinner in Tests against New Zealand.
In April 2017, he was named in South Africa’s One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against England and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. He made his ODI debut for South Africa against England on 27 May 2017. In May 2017, he was named International Newcomer of the Year at Cricket South Africa’s annual awards. In October 2017, he took his 50th wicket in Tests, during the first Test against Bangladesh.
