Temba Bavuma ruled out of 2nd Test against India, Dean Elgar to step up as captain
South Africa will be without their regular captain Temba Bavuma in the second Test against India at Newlands in Cape Town. The right-handed batter has failed to recover from his hamstring injury suffered in the first innings in Centurion. As a result, Dean Elgar will take charge in Cape Town in what will also be the final Test of his illustrious career.
Bavuma strained his left hamstring while chasing the ball towards the boundary in the 1st innings. He walked off with a support staff of the South African team and didn't return for the remainder of the match, with Elgar captaining.
It emerged later in the day that the 33-year-old went for scans and his participation in the game is yet to be determined. Bavuma didn't come out to bat and the team management said that it was too risky to let him bat.
However, they also announced that Bavuma will bat should South Africa desperately need him to in the fourth innings. However, the home side wrapped up the fixture with an innings and a 32-run victory inside three days as the fast bowlers ran riot.
Dean Elgar leads South Africa expertly in Temba Bavuma's absence
Dean Elgar hardly put a foot wrong and captained the Proteas to a crushing win over the No.1 Test team in the first Test of the two-match series. He led from the front with a classy 185. He shared three critical partnerships with Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, and Marco Jansen to help South Africa gather a 164-run lead.
At the post-match presentation, the 36-year-old credited the bowlers for exploiting the conditions well and believes that looking to score is critical on such pitches.
"Pretty special for me, rather just smile than cry. and enjoy the moment. Contribute to this team is what I've always wanted to do. Hasn't worked out sometimes, but it did here, massive effort to pick 20 wickets.
"It was a juicy wicket. Got to keep nice and simple, batting in Tests you have to simplify things. Focus on the ball, play nice and straight, play late. Wickets like that, one's got your name on it, got to ride the wave when it's in your favour."
The second and final Test of the series will begin on January 3 at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.