Visakhapatnam: It's just as well that Keshav Maharaj loves bowling. On the evidence of the fare South Africa's other spinners dished out at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in the first Test, the left-arm spinner will be required to bowl plenty as the series travels to Pune and Ranchi.

Maharaj bowled 55 of the 146 overs in India's first-innings 502 for seven declared, for returns of three for 189. He wasn't at his best, often neutralised by the slowness of the deck, but he was also quick to credit Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal for their brilliance during an opening salvo of 317.