Dean Elgar's top 3 Test knocks vs India
Veteran South African opener Dean Elgar will bring down the curtain on an incredible international career after the conclusion of the upcoming two-match Test series against India, beginning on Boxing Day at the Centurion.
Elgar had to fill the big boots of Graeme Smith at the top of the order, a certainly tough ask given what his compatriot had achieved for the Proteas. However, Elgar was able to carve a pretty impressive Test career for himself, having played 84 Tests so far with more than 5,000 runs to his name.
As one of the more experienced batters in the South African line-up, Dean Elgar will be key to his team's chances of ensuring that they keep a strong Indian team at bay. The visitors have not won a Test series on South African soil and Elgar could be an important hurdle between them and history.
On that note, let's take a look at three of the top knocks played by Dean Elgar against India:
#3 86*, Johannesburg, 24-27 January 2018
South Africa had already sealed the series 2-0 going into the final Test match at Johannesburg in 2018 and it was all about playing for pride as far as India were concerned. The uneven bounce and movement in the pitch was a topic of debate and both teams kept throwing punches at each other, with neither in control of the game.
Chasing 242 runs to win, Dean Elgar was hit on the helmet by Jasprit Bumrah and that certainly ruffled the feathers of the opener. However, his gutsy character and never-give-up attitude came to the fore as he kept fighting from one end to take South Africa to the target.
Until Elgar and Hashim Amla were batting, it looked like the hosts would win the game and whitewash India 3-0. However, Amla's wicket opened the floodgates as India ended up bowling the Proteas out for 177. While the visitors won the game, Elgar remained unbeaten at the other end, carrying his bat with a valiant 86*.
#2 96*, Johannesburg, 3-7 January, 2022
While Dean Elgar couldn't take his team home in Johannesburg in 2018, four years later, he got the opportunity again and this time ensured that he got the job done. India had already taken a 1-0 lead in the series and had to defend 240 to make history and clinch their first-ever Test series win on South African soil.
However, Elgar stood like a rock in the middle and ensured that he remained unbeaten on 96*, helping his team coast to the total with seven wickets in hand. That knock arguably changed the momentum of the series as the Proteas won the third Test to complete a sensational 2-1 comeback.
#1 160, Visakhapatnam, 2-6 October 2019
Dean Elgar's highest score against India came in a losing cause in 2019, but it was just an example of how well the southpaw adapted to alien conditions. India posted a mammoth 502/7 in their first innings, thanks to an outstanding double hundred from Mayank Agarwal and a fabulous 176 from Rohit Sharma, who was new as an opener in Tests.
It was a sorry show from the South African top order in reply, with Dean Elgar being the exception. A fantastic 160 from him and a century from Quinton de Kock put the Proteas in a position to fight back with 431 in reply.
That effort didn't make much of a difference as India bossed the game, winning by 203 runs. However, Elgar's innings reiterated just how mentally strong he was to dig deep and score big under pressure.