Johannesburg: South Africa skipper Dean Elgar has said that his team were very much aware of the lack of hundreds coming in from the team. He went on to say that he and Temba Bavuma have to step in to get set and score big hundreds.
South Africa lost the first Test to India by 113 runs in Centurion and are 1-0 behind in three-match series. In the series opener, the Proteas were bowled out for 197 and 191 in both innings.
“You need big hundreds in Test cricket to compete and win. We are very much aware of that. KL’s hundred was great for India and kind of set them up for the rest of the game. Trust me, we were very disappointed with the two fifties within the Test knowing that I am a guy who can come in and score some big hundreds. That’s also my job that I need to look after,” said Elgar while replying to a query from IANS in the pre-match virtual press conference.
“Temba needs to push on. He needs to stop getting those good fifties and start getting those hundreds again coz we know how it goes from a team point of view. It helps the guys to set up the game and take a lot of time in the game as well. It’s definitely an area that I thought was a turning point in the first Test and an area which will be quite important for the next few,” added Elgar.
The 34-year-old firmly backed left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj to be in the playing eleven ahead of the second Test at the Wanderers despite the stadium traditionally favouring the pacers. “I am always a fan of having a frontline spin bowler. I think Keshav has put up his hand and he still kind of deserves his spot in the side. Of late, playing a few domestic games and playing in the Test series against Australia, the ball spun quite a bit still at the Wanderers.
“Speaking about the conditions for now, I think Kesh would still retain his spot. He didn’t have a horrible match in the previous game. I am still extremely pro about having a spinner, just from a stability point of view. He’s someone who I can throw the ball to and he can always try and bring down the run-rate and stabilise the bowling a little bit. As of now, I am pretty sure Kesh will still retain his spot.”
Elgar expressed confidence in Maharaj doing well after going wicketless in the first innings and not getting a chance to bowl in the second innings at Centurion.
“Sometimes you would like to go horses for courses, but I think he’s the one that adapts to whatever conditions are there in front of him. I trust him, that he is a very smart and clever cricketer and his record speaks for itself. But saying that, having a left-arm spinner bowling to ten right-handed Indian batters apart from a left-hander in Rishabh Pant, it’s something for us to utilise as well. Tactically, we can always be a lot better but from a stability point of view, Kesh still has an extremely big role to play in this Test series.”
IANS
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