IND v SA: Rohit Praises Elgar but Plans to Spoil Farewell in 2nd Test

By siliconindia  |  Wednesday, 03 January 2024, 04:55:29 PM IST

IND v SA: Rohit Praises Elgar but Plans to Spoil Farewell in 2nd Test
Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, commended South Africa's captain Dean Elgar, who is set to play his farewell game in the upcoming second and final Test starting. Despite acknowledging Elgar's contribution in the first Test, where he scored a crucial 185 off 297 deliveries, Sharma expressed his team's determination to give their best, aiming to secure a victory and salvage the two-match series. India faced a defeat in the initial Test at Centurion, losing by an innings 
In recent years, Dean Elgar has proven to be a formidable presence for India, both as a player and captain. During India's last tour of South Africa, Elgar led by example, emerging as the second-highest run-scorer in the series with 235 runs, contributing to the Proteas' comeback from a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 series win. In the most recent encounter, Elgar's outstanding performance in the first Test, where he scored a remarkable 185, earned him the Player of the Match title. 
Elgar, playing his final international match, will captain South Africa in the absence of Temba Bavuma, who suffered an injury during the first Test. In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rohit Sharma was effusive in his praise for his opposite number but wants to halt the southpaw in his final outing. "He's been their mainstay for a number of years now. Gets a lot of runs against us for sure but again a quality player", Rohit said. 
"It will be important if we can get him early and try to see what the other batters do with him not being there. We know how important he is to them. He likes to score big runs and bat long as well. We have got our plans. Hope it works out for us, it clearly didn't work out in the last game but hopefully, it will. Hopefully, we can make it miserable", said Rohit.
Elgar, on the other hand, expressed his single-minded focus on winning the series in the lead-up to his last Test match, even comparing it to the significance of a World Cup win. "I only play the game to win", Elgar said on the eve of his final Test. "I don't care about stats. I care about wins. I care about series wins. That's the greatest memory you can ever share with your team, everyone that has got an influential role in the background", said Elgar.
In addition to Elgar, the Indian team is eager to outperform South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, who took 5-59 in 20 overs, playing a key role in dismissing the visitors for 245. The Indian innings was supported by a resilient century from K.L Rahul, who scored 101. The debutant pacer Nandre Burger also left a lasting impression, showcasing his skills with an impressive performance that resulted in a haul of 3-50.
On their part, besides K.L Rahul, India will be looking up to former captain Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who had shared a 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket to rescue India from a precarious 24/3. But despite these efforts, South Africa made a perfect start to the World Test Championship 2023-25 as they sit on top of the table with a 100%-point percentage. Meanwhile, India, finalists in the last two editions, find themselves in a challenging position, aiming to recover lost ground after dropping to the 6th position following a loss and penalties incurred for a slow over-rate.
Source: IANS

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