Former South African cricket captain, Dean Elgar, is poised to bid farewell to the cricketing world after the upcoming two-match Test series against India.

Elgar, a left-handed batsman, will play his penultimate Test at his home ground in Centurion, with his final appearance scheduled at Newlands, a venue that holds sentimental value for him as it witnessed his maiden Test run.

Expressing his sentiments, Elgar stated,

“Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine, but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate. Having had the privilege to do it for 12 years internationally is simply beyond my wildest dreams. It has been an incredible journey that I have been fortunate enough to have.”

“As they say, ‘all good things come to an end,’ and the Indian home series will be my last. I have made the decision to retire from our beautiful game—a game that has given me so much. The Cape Town Test will be my last, my favorite stadium in the world, where I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too.”

Debuting in Tests and ODIs in 2012, Elgar found his niche in the longest format, accumulating 5146 runs in 84 Tests, featuring 13 centuries and 23 fifties. Memorable innings include his 199 against Bangladesh in 2017 and his resilient 160 against India in Visakhapatnam in 2019.

Elgar played a pivotal role in South Africa’s 3-1 series triumph against Australia in 2018, contributing 333 runs in three matches and carrying the bat in the third Test in Cape Town with an unbeaten 141.

Awarded the captaincy of the Test side in 2021, Elgar led South Africa to a third-place finish in the ICC World Test Championship for the 2021-23 cycle, including series wins against India and West Indies at home and a drawn series in New Zealand.

Expressing gratitude, Elgar said,

“Having the opportunity to represent my country and the learnings I’ve had along my journey is something I’ll always be thankful for. It’s most definitely been the best learning experience of my life.”

Elgar extended his appreciation to Cricket South Africa, former coaches, teammates and fans, concluding with a heartfelt farewell to his current teammates, encouraging them to continue representing the nation with responsibility.

The first Test is scheduled to begin on Boxing Day at Centurion, followed by the second Test on January 3 in Cape Town.