CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Dean Elgar, unexpectedly leading South Africa in the second and final test against India at Newlands on Wednesday, aims to cap off his international career on a high note.
Just prior to the series opener, the 36-year-old Elgar revealed his decision to retire from international cricket following this brief series against the top-ranked Indian team.
After his outstanding display in the first test, marked by a stellar innings of 185 that set the stage for South Africa’s 32-run victory, Elgar seeks to conclude his career with yet another triumph. While acknowledging the significant contributions from the bowlers, it was Elgar’s steadfastness at the crease that played a pivotal role in South Africa’s emphatic win at Centurion.
His performance not only prevented the hosts from facing a series loss to India—a feat the visiting team had aimed for in what they termed the ‘final frontier’ of winning a series in South Africa for the first time—but also filled the leadership vacuum created by Temba Bavuma’s injury, propelling Elgar back into the captaincy, a position he lost last February.
As South Africa’s youthful squad prepares for a less daunting contest than in Pretoria, the stage is set for a spirited response from a chastened Indian side that has vowed an improved performance.
Captain Rohit Sharma fended off home criticism by pointing out previous success away from home. “We might have put in this performance here, but don’t forget what we did in Australia and England,” he said.
“We won the series in Australia on the back of our batting. We drew the series in England through our batting and bowling both. These performances can happen. It doesn’t mean we don’t know how to bat outside India. Sometimes the opposition performs better than us,” he told reporters
Ravindra Jadeja is expected to return for India following upper back spasms that sidelined him in the first test, potentially prompting alterations among their underperforming seamers. Despite South Africa’s undefeated streak of six previous tests against India at Newlands, they face a formidable challenge despite their buoyant spirits following their Boxing Day test triumph.
“We’ve proven that we can produce players, but sometimes we are too humble as a group. We are so quick to talk up other players and we don’t give our players enough credit,” said coach Shukri Conrad
