ELGAR'S MOMENT, SA'S TEST

Captain’s Brave Knock Takes Hosts To First-Ever Win Over India At Wanderers; Series Tied 1-1 With One Game To Go

- Dwaipayan.Datta

The wait continues. It’s been 30 years since India’s first tour to this part of the world, but South Africa still remain unvanquished. It may still happen in Cape Town in a week’s time, but for now there’s a sense of happiness that the South African cricket rainbow is peeping through the clouds once again.

Everything was against the Proteas as they went into a 240-run chase in the fourth innings on a pitch that was playing plenty of tricks. The Indian attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami had everything going their way and the five-hour wait on Thursday due to rain only added to the pressure of the hosts, who haven’t won anything significant of late.

But they have a leader in their ranks who believes in one motto: fight. Playing the first phase of his career under the shadow of Jacques Kallis , Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, Elgar (96*) has never been the player who the opposition is scared of. But leading South Africa into this phase of transition, the left-hander played an innings that he will probably rate as his best ever.