"We let ourselves down quite a lot" - Dean Elgar laments poor batting display after lndia beat South Africa in Centurion Test
South African captain Dean Elgar said that batting was the difference between the two teams as India emerged victorious in the first Test in Centurion today. India bowled South Africa out for under 200 in both innings as they romped to a 113-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
A big victory for #TeamIndia in the 1st Test.
Scorecard - bcci.tv/events/48/indi… #SAvIND https://t.co/lRWDCAalIZ
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Elgar said:
"With bat in hand, we let ourselves down quite a lot. I'd say the batting was the difference between the two sides. We'll have a little sit-down with myself and the management to strategize."
Elgar, however, remained positive about South Africa's chances in the series and insisted that there wasn't much wrong with their performance in Centurion. He added:
"We didn't do a lot of wrong things. It's not all doom and gloom for us. We thrive under the pressure which is a positive for us."
Elgar himself top-scored for South Africa with his 77 in the second innings. There were positive contributions from Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock as well.
"Indian openers did the fundamentals right" - Dean Elgar
KL Rahul scored 123 while Mayank Agarwal made 60, with the two putting on a 117-run opening partnership. This set India up to score 327 in the first innings.
WHAT. A. WIN! 🤩🇮🇳
An historic victory for India as the become the first Asian team and only the third overseas side to win at the SuperSport Park in Centurion 👏
#SAvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/w5NKyrT3hB
Dean Elgar praised India's openers for laying down the platform for them to win the match and said:
"It's always going to be tough because the wicket's playing slower (first morning). Indian openers did the fundamentals right. We didn't quite execute the lengths well."
India finished the first day on 270/3, with Rahul and Rahane looking set at the crease. With Day 2 of the Test washed out, South Africa came storming back on the third day, with the bowlers effecting a collapse, taking seven wickets for 57 runs. Speaking about their efforts, Elgar said:
"After some good chats, our bowlers executed the lengths and restricted India to what we thought was a par score. I can't emphasize enough the hard work our bowlers put in to get 20 wickets."
In India's second innings, South Africa bowled well again, bowling the visitors out for 174. The two teams will now face off in the second Test at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The match is set to begin on January 3.