A triumph for Elgar and co
The Indian meltdown was courtesy of a Proteas side which relishes this historic stranglehold they have over cricket’s economic powerhouse
● Dean Elgar wore the largest smile, it was not one that left his face and why would it?
This first Test against India, the penultimate of his stellar career, turned into a personal triumph for the gritty 36-year-old left-hand opener.
There was the 185 — one of the performances of his career — but he also finished the match as captain, and will continue in that role in the New Year’s Test at Newlands.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad confirmed that Temba Bavuma’s hamstring injury would prevent him from participating in the second Test that starts January 3. He will be replaced by Zubayr Hamza.
India’s capitulation in the second innings, when they suffered a collapse that saw them lose eight wickets for 79 runs in 16 overs, will be a tough pill for Rohit Sharma and Co to swallow.
All the talk about conquering the “final frontier” dissipated in a Nandre Burger/Kagiso Rabada inspired whirlwind on the third afternoon.
When they needed to be tough, India went butter soft. The meltdown was courtesy of a South African side which clearly relishes this historic stranglehold they have over cricket’s economic powerhouse.
“It’s massive for us. We know what a quality side India is but we know what a quality side we are, especially at home,” said Conrad.
With the Proteas’ Test schedule shrinking by the year, this was a reminder that the men’s national team remains a potent force, with some to- tier talent, capable of producing world-class performances.
The two debutants in this Test, Nandre Burger and David Bedingham, both produced crucial contributions, with Burger putting on a forceful display to claim 4/33 on Thursday.
As part of a four-pronged pace attack magnificently led by Rabada, Burger showed that the international stage is one he is happy to embrace.
Conrad said the debutants were fantastic and asked that South Africans celebrate the talent produced on these shores. “We drool over a lot of players internationally, maybe it’s time to start drooling over our own players and David is someone we can drool over — as it relates to his expertise with the bat.”
As was the case in the series two seasons ago, the Proteas out-bowled India, despite Jasprit Bumrah and to a lesser extent Mohammad Siraj making life very hard at times for the South African batters.
It’s not that the Proteas quartet were faultless — although Rabada occasionally touched stratospheric levels — but the pace at which they bowled was relentless, and the mental damage it did the India batters was pronounced.
The Proteas batting, much-maligned recently, stood up superbly in tricky conditions and against some excellent bowling from Bumrah and Siraj, although it was noted by Elgar that the Indians missed Mohammad Shami, who is absent from the series with a shoulder problem.
Guided by the grizzled Elgar, it was Tony de Zorzi, Bedingham and Marco Jansen, who provided the most assistance. “The partnership with Tony was pretty important, Bumrah was swinging it both ways,” said Elgar.
“I thought Tony did bloody well to get through it. I know he only got (28) but given that period, to see off that newish ball to get it old allowed David to play his natural game. It is something that won’t be spoken about, so I’ll mention it.”
It was a critical period in the match, where South Africa’s batting faced a severe examination. De Zorzi will be able to lean on that experience when Elgar isn’t there, starting with New Zealand at the end of January.
That 131-run partnership with Bedingham,
who made a composed 56, filled with several sweetly timed drives, was the turning point, and the period in which the hosts ripped control of the match from the Indians.
“Bedders, you think is this youngster coming into Test cricket, but he’s 29, he’s got a lot of first-class experience, he’s done well in SA and in county conditions. The club (Durham) where he plays, the conditions there are not the easiest; the wickets are not conducive for free-scoring players.
“You can see he comes in with a lot of confidence. He played like he’s got 20 Tests under his belt, when it wasn’t easy at all. But you can see he is calm, he has the experience of playing long format cricket.”
That is a critical element. Even in choosing a so-called Proteas C team for the tour to New Zealand, Shukri Conrad has sought experience, be that in the form of first-class matches, or any sort of Test cricket.
That is the principal reason the likes of Dane Piedt, Dane Paterson, Bedingham and Hamza are going to be part of the touring party Down Under, while the rest of the nationally contracted players are involved in SA20.