Elgar’s Farewell: South Africa Opts to Bat in Final Test
Under the radiant sunshine at Newlands, South Africa's captain, Dean Elgar, won the toss and chose to bat in the second and conclusive Test against India.
January 3, 2024
1.8 minutes
Elgar’s Farewell: South Africa Opts to Bat in Final Test
Under the radiant sunshine at Newlands, South Africa's captain, Dean Elgar, won the toss and chose to bat in the second and conclusive Test against India.
Under the radiant sunshine at Newlands, South Africa’s captain, Dean Elgar, won the toss and chose to bat in the second and conclusive Test against India. The home team aims for a series sweep against the top-ranked side in the world.
South Africa have implemented three changes to their victorious squad from the first Test in Pretoria, where they dominated on a lively pitch, winning by an innings and 32 runs.
Making his debut in the middle order, Tristan Stubbs steps in for the injured regular captain, Temba Bavuma. Spinner Keshav Maharaj celebrates his 50th cap, taking the place of the injured Gerald Coetzee, and seamer Lungi Ngidi replaces Keegan Petersen as the hosts opt for an additional bowler.
Expressing his thoughts on the wicket, Elgar remarked:
“It looks like an interesting wicket, a few snakes in it; hopefully it comes to the fore when we bowl. It is a big hurdle for us and a big test; this is our marquee game of the season. We have to start well.”
India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, admitted that he would have chosen to bat first had he won the toss, as the visitors also made two changes. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, recovered from back spasms, replaces Ravichandran Ashwin, while seamer Mukesh Kumar steps in for Shardul Thakur to play his second Test.
Rohit shared his perspective, saying:
“There will be enough on the pitch for the seamers, so hopefully we can cash in on it. It is important for us to forget what has happened in the past; it is about the present.”
The match marks the final appearance of Elgar’s illustrious 12-year Test career, as he announced his retirement ahead of the series.
Squad
South Africa XI:
– Dean Elgar (capt.)
– Aiden Markram
– Tony de Zorzi
– Tristan Stubbs
– David Bedingham
– Kyle Verreynne
– Marco Jansen
– Keshav Maharaj
– Kagiso Rabada
– Nandre Burger
– Lungi Ngidi
India XI:
– Rohit Sharma (capt.)
– Yashasvi Jaiswal
– Shubman Gill
– Virat Kohli
– Shreyas Iyer
– KL Rahul
– Ravindra Jadeja
– Jasprit Bumrah
– Mohammed Siraj
– Prasidh Krishna
– Mukesh Kumar.
