South Africa on Thursday outsmarted India to win the IND vs SA 1st Test by huge margin of an innings and 32 runs. The Proteas rode on Dean Elgar’s 185 and some fiery bowling from Kagiso Rabada to end India’s hopes of winning their maiden series in South Africa. Man of the Match Dean Elgar after the game shared his thoughts on various things ranging from his innings to South Africa’s bowling performance.
Elgar, playing his penultimate Test after announcing his retirement from international cricket before the start of the series, produced a magnificent knock of 185. The innings ultimately proved to be the differentiating factor as India helplessly surrendered in front of a dominant Proteas display.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Elgar, who captained the Proteas side after regular captain Temba Bavuma’s injury, sounded elated with his fantastic innings.
“Pretty special thing for me. The thing is if I don’t laugh, I’m gonna cry. So I’d just laugh and enjoy the moment. Contributing and adding big scores to the team is something I’ve always wanted to do, but it never really worked out. Glad that it worked out this time around,” Elgar said.
The Indian batters found it very difficult to put up big scores on the Centurion pitch while the Proteas batters made it look easy. On being asked about his plans in the middle, Elgar said, “You just got to keep things nice and simple. You have to simplify everything. The games become pretty complex when you want to complicate things. Focus on the ball, play nice and straight, play late and be great.”
The stand-in captain also praised the bowlers who took 20 wickets to ensure South Africa won the match comfortably.
“In a test match, at the end, you need 20 wickets to win and KG (Kagiso Rabada) was amazing, and then a guy like Nandre just came to the fore. Amazing bowling performance,” Elgar said.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Triple strike from Bumrah & co, Virat Kohli's redemption on India's radar on Day 2
Top Stories
