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Brilliant Elgar gives SA narrow first-innings lead

cricket27 December 2023 16:04| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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Dean Elgar scored a magnificent, unbeaten 140 to lead South Africa to a total of 256-5 and a slender first-innings lead of 11 runs by the close of a pulsating second day of the first test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old former captain’s 14th test century was one of his best as he overcame bowler-friendly conditions by batting with a freedom seldom seen before in his illustrious, 12-year career as he struck 23 boundaries from the 211 deliveries he faced.

He will resume on the third morning in the company of Marco Jansen (3) knowing that a lead of around 100 may be crucial on a pitch expected to deteriorate rapidly.

Captain Temba Bavuma, for whom Elgar has been deputising, is unlikely to bat with a damaged hamstring.

It was the perfect riposte from the home side after KL Rahul completed an equally impressive century before lunch for India, advancing from his overnight 70 to 101 to take the total from 208-8 to 245.

Rahul’s runs came from just 137 balls and contained 14 fours and four sixes as he progressed from the pragmatism of the first day to controlled attack in the company of the last few batsmen on the second morning.

Elgar then dominated a rollicking stand of 93 for the second wicket with Tony de Zorzi who was happy to play a supporting role with a patient 28 from 62 balls with five fours until Jasprit Bumrah (2-48) found a thick outside edge which flew to Yashasvi Jaiswal at third slip.

ELGAR THRILLS HOME CROWD

Elgar then adopted a more pragmatic approach on a pitch continuing to offer generous assistance to the fast bowlers and attacked whenever the chance arose interspersing his trademark nudges and steers with some rasping cover drives, not normally his strength.

Scoring well above his career strike-rate in the knowledge that a wicket-taking delivery could arrive at any time, Elgar thrilled his home crowd with some scintillating stroke-play to complement his trademark grittiness and resilience.

Twenty-nine-year-old David Bedingham’s debut test innings was a memorable one with his 56 from 87 balls containing some of the shots of the day including two pulled sixes and seven fours with some thrilling backfoot cover drives until Siraj knocked back his middle stump moments after South Africa had taken a four-run lead.

The fourth-wicket partnership of 131 had threatened to take the game away from the tourists but when Kyle Verreynne (4) gloved an ambitious, backfoot drive into Rahul’s gloves for a second, late wicket, India were very much back into the game.

Earlier Siraj (5) survived for 22 balls which allowed Rahul to manipulate the strike and collect precious boundaries before he edged Gerald Coetzee (1-74) to ‘keeper Verreynne.

Rahul moved to his eighth career century with a stunning six over long-on against Coetzee to complete the ‘full-set’ having already struck Rabada, Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen for maximums.

Rabada did not add to his overnight five-wickets in the three overs he bowled and finished with 5-59 from 20 overs.

It was Rahul’s eighth test century and certainly one of his best batting at No 6 for the first time and accepting the responsibility of batting with the tailenders like a man who has done the job throughout his career.

Report Day 1

SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (captain), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger

INDIA:Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna Neil Manthorp

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