Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar hailed Dean Elgar for a valiant hundred in his farewell Test series for South Africa. Elgar hit a remarkable century on Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test match against India, being played at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
| SA vs IND, 1st Test Score |
Elgar kicked off his farewell Test series in a spectacular manner, notching up a scintillating century on Wednesday, 28 December. The left-handed batter, who had announced his retirement after the two-match series against India, showcased remarkable form despite the challenging overcast conditions on Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test.
After the early wicket of Aiden Markram, Elgar steered South Africa’s innings and reached his 14th Test century in just 140 balls. The milestone was achieved on the first ball of the 43rd over, where he skillfully dispatched Shardul Thakur’s delivery over long-on.
Manjrekar, while speaking on ESPNcricinfo, explained that the Protea batter played with a more relaxed approach. He praised Elgar for his shot selection and how he built his innings.
“When you decide to quit and play your last couple of matches, there is a different approach as your mind is more relaxed and there is nothing to lose. We saw the value of old-fashioned Test batting from Dean Elgar,” Manjrekar said.
“Initially, he was being very watchful, leaving a lot of balls outside the off-stump and once he got his eye in, he spotted the guys who were quiet at the mark and cashed-in on Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur. The drive and the pull-shot, nothing was played in a care-free fashion, even the cover-drives were watchful. Dean Elgar, we will miss him and someone who is so good, sometimes we feel, why they call it a time to wind-up,” Manjrekar added.
Manjrekar was disappointed with the Indian bowlers for taking more time than expected to assess the conditions and bowl accordingly.
“The pitch got better, at least by the end of the day. I was disappointed that India took a lot more time than they normally do to get adjusted to the conditions,” Manjrekar said.
“Especially Jasprit Bumrah, it takes Bumrah 3-4 balls to know what line and length to bowl. He was trying to swing the ball too much before he realised this is a kind of wicket where you use the pitch more and the round-the-wicket angle also came in a little later. Mohammed Siraj was the best bowler in the 1st spell,” Manjrekar added.
India finished off Day 2 by picking up 5 wickets and conceding an 11-run lead to South Africa and will have a lot of catching up to do on Day 3.
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