Former Indian cricketer and Paarl Royals (PR) star Dinesh Karthik heaped praises on young South African pacer Kwena Maphaka the Proteas' latest all-format debutant, saying that his team has found a gem in him and he needs to be protected.

Maphaka, who rose to fame with a 21-wicket campaign in the ICC U19 World Cup last year, made his debut across all formats for Proteas in the home series against Pakistan held from December last year to January. He has played a Test, two ODIs and five T20Is in his career so far. The 18-year-old has three Test wickets at an average of 30 with best figures of 3/90, five ODI wickets at an average of 24.40 with best figures of 4/72 and three T20I wickets at an average of 56.00 and best figures of 2/39.

From U19 WC last year, Maphaka made a lot of progress and played two Indian Premier League (IPL) matches for five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) after being signed as a replacement to Sri Lankan pacer Dilshan Madhushanka. In the IPL 2024 auction, he was brought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 1.50 crores.

Speaking ahead of Paarl Royals’ SA20 season three campaign opener against defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC), Karthik said about Maphaka that when he saw him for the first time during the U19 WC, he gave him a rare feeling that one will have to survive his initial spell and handle him properly.

“I watched him bowl in the U19 World Cup and it almost felt like when you play against South Africa, you need to get past that first spell. That is a feeling not many bowlers can give. He has handled pressure, he has come with expectations, and it is great to see him grow into not only a good domestic cricketer, but today he is playing for South Africa in all three formats," he said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“If I was him, SA20 would be a great opportunity to show my skills at the T20 level but also be the person who can win matches for the team. He is a special player. He has the skill sets to be the superstar that I expect him to be. In Kwena, South Africa has found a gem, and they need to protect him," he added.

Karthik also said that Maphaka needs to care for his body well.

“The one thing that will happen as he grows is he could drop pace, and he does not want to do that, So how he takes care of his body and mentally, every time he gets on the park, it should be about winning the game for that team," he signed off.

Karthik is the first-ever Indian player signed by the league and called time on his international career last year. He scored 3,463 runs in 180 matches at an average of 27.70, with a century and 17 fifties. His best score was 129.

He also had a successful IPL career, representing franchises like Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In 257 matches, he made 4,842 runs at an average of 26.31, with 22 half-centuries to his name.