Walking into cricketing sundown in one other 11 days, Dean Elgar displayed his understated brilliance with a counter-offensive hundred that not solely neutralised KL Rahul‘s superlative ton but additionally put South Africa in full command on the second day of the opening Test towards India on Wednesday. Playing his eighty fifth and penultimate Test, left-handed Elgar (140 batting, 211 balls), not precisely identified for his elegant stroke-play, stacked up his 14th Test hundred and likewise took South Africa to 256 for five at stumps to offset India’s first innings complete of 245.

With debutant David Bedingham (56 off 87 balls), who hit a fluent half-century that included two large pulled sixes, Elgar added 131 runs for the fourth wicket as India now should play a catching recreation.

The situations remained bowling pleasant as clouds hovered over all through the second day, nevertheless it was Mohamamed Shami’s absence and ineptitude of Shardul Thakur (0/57 in 12 overs) and lack of ability of debutant Prasidh Krishna (1/61 in 15 overs) that damage India dearly as they neither discovered the proper line nor the size on the day.

Jasprit Bumrah (2/48 in 16 overs), in his comeback Test, gave his all and Mohammed Siraj (2/63 in 15 overs) was 200 % sincere in his effort however two could not have executed the job which required all 4 to sing from the identical hymn sheet.

Ravichandran Ashwin (0/19 in 8 overs) stored issues tight however this is not the pitch the place one can count on him to run by the opposition.

On the day, Indian bowlers had been hammered for 37 boundaries and two sixes.

In a rustic with megastars in batting like Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, Elgar’s period was the one the place Proteas cricket was on the decline.

Elgar was by no means an alpha-male however somebody who has been a glue for this Test staff over the previous decade.

He is a neighborhood lad, who would unassumingly drive his sports activities automotive by the Supersports Park gate with not many individuals giving a second look, however will look ahead to the entrance workplace girl to rearrange for the complimentary tickets as he will likely be showing at his dwelling floor one final time.

If anybody cared to hear, he would inform the particular person casually that it would not make sense for him to proceed taking part in Test cricket for the lure of 4 video games a 12 months when he’s already pushing 37.

Elgar will not be a patch on Brian Lara, David Gower or for that matter even Kumar Sangakkara, however there’s that Shivnarine Chanderpaul like grit. He is aware of the best way to get his job executed.

Elgar properly blended defence with a plethora of pulls and tucks off his legs and ferocious cuts. He left a number of deliveries in the course of the first half-hour and missed a number of earlier than Shardul and Prasidh performed into his fingers.

By the time, Siraj castled Bedingham and Prasidh received his first Test sufferer in Kyle Verreynne, India had misplaced the initiative.

Rahul’s greatest Test knock

In the morning, Rahul scored certainly one of his most satisfying lots of in extraordinarily troublesome batting situations to take India to an above-par first innings rating.

Starting the day unbeaten on 70, Rahul made a superb hundred and the innings might properly be thought of on par with among the greatest knocks performed by Indians in SENA nations if the diploma of problem is taken into consideration.

No Test batter from another nation has been capable of rating two Test lots of at this venue and Rahul now holds that distinctive file.

His innings had 14 boundaries and 4 sixes as he more often than not determined to experience the bounce slightly than get on high of it en route his eighth Test ton.

As somebody who was dropped earlier this 12 months in the course of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India on account of poor kind, this was some comeback for Rahul the place he was actually the lone ranger.

Consistency has been the issue for the Bengaluru man however class has by no means been a difficulty as his vary is nearly as good as a Virat Kohli or a Rohit Sharma.

The ramp shot off Kagiso Rabada (5/59 in 20 overs) was pure class whereas a fast bye run stolen off Gerald Coetzee to forestall a real No. 11 Prasidh from dealing with extra of the quick bowler was pragmatic.

Rahul received into the 90s with a smashing six as he picked Rabada’s size very early and dispatched him into sq. leg grass embankments.

The hundred got here when he slogged Coetzee into the ‘Cow Corner’ for his fourth and last most.