Dean Elgar, a century-maker for South Africa, stated on Wednesday that his exuberant celebrations after scoring 100 against India on the second day of the inaugural Test were precipitated by the arrival of his name on the honours board affixed to the Centurion home changeroom interior.
Elgar, whose domestic team is the Northerns Titans of Centurion, completed the second day at 140 not out, which was his first century in Test cricket at his place of residence.
The innings showcased exceptional composure on a challenging pitch and prowess in penalizing erroneous deliveries.
It consisted of 23 fours and was scored off 211 deliveries prior to the cessation of play due to poor lighting. South Africa led by 11 runs in the first innings at 256 for five.
Prior to this two-Test series, the departing left-handeder amassed centuries in the home Tests of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Gqeberha (two each), Durban, Potchefstroom, and Bloemfontein, so he was ecstatic to finish the set.
“Being my final international match here, this is a momentous occasion for me; my family and friends are in attendance.”
“I’ve never scored a century in Test cricket before at Centurion; however, that one escaped, so I’m thrilled to be contributing to the team.”
“I now have hundreds at each of the South African Test locations, which is fairly incredible.
“Some of the guys thought I had scored a few centuries here, but I had to tell them I’ve been awful here,” Elgar, whose previous highest score at the venue was 95 against Sri Lanka in 2020, explained. “We discussed it in the locker room.”
“The conditions were favorable for the bowlers due to the green pitch and clouds above, but I experienced an outcome that favored me.”
“Given the intensity with which the Indian bowlers attacked, your mentality must be one of scoring in addition to maintaining a solid defense and avoiding the ball.”
“Undoubtedly, as the ball continues to fly, one of them will bear your name. “However, in order to score, one must position themselves more advantageously and take advantage of a ball that is slightly overpitched or a bit elevated,” Elgar explained.
Lokesh Rahul, a former opener, had previously demonstrated his prowess in the visitors’ middle order by amassing 101 runs off 14 fours and four sixes in support of their 245-run total.
“When batsmanship is in the middle order, planning is minimal; one must simply execute the circumstance at hand. I attempted to enter with an open mind. “I had no choice but to take my chances while batting with the tail,” he explained. “The situation was crystal clear.”
“The batting conditions were quite challenging; the bowlers had a lot of juice and assistance, which South Africa utilized exceptionally well.” Thus, I simply endeavored to establish partnerships.
“I quite enjoy playing here because… there is a fast outfield and you can get boundaries.”