Following India's disappointing defeat to South Africa in the first Test, former India's star all-rounder and 2007 T20 World Cup-winner Irfan Pathan came out with a perfect plan for Indian bowlers to dismiss the first match's centurion Dean Elgar in the second Test which will be starting from January 3, 2024. He offered strategic advice to Rohit Sharma's bowlers on countering Elgar at Newlands Cricket Ground.
In the first Test Elgar troubled Indian bowlers and shone with a tremendous knock of 287-balls 185 which was decorated with 28 fours. The match saw South African captain Temba Bavuma inviting Rohit Sharma's side to bat first at Centurion. South Africa's bowling attack made an immediate impact, with Kagiso Rabada dismissing Rohit Sharma early for just five runs. Debutant Nandre Burger then took the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, intensifying the pressure on the Indian side.
As Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were building their partnership, Kagiso Rabada returned to the attack, disrupting their rhythm and claiming both their wickets. This feat led him to achieve his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket by also taking down Ashwin and Shardul.
The prospect of India setting a formidable score in the first innings seemed doubtful. It was primarily KL Rahul's impressive innings of 101 from 137 balls that pushed India's score to 245. Consequently, the Indian bowlers faced the immense task of delivering their best performance to keep alive any hopes of a victory in the first Test.
Despite an early setback with the dismissal of Aiden Markram, South Africa, led by Dean Elgar, took firm control. Elgar's excellent shot-making, composure, and determination to excel in his final Test series propelled the Proteas to a commanding victory by an innings and 32 runs, thereby enhancing their standing in the WTC points table.
Irfan Pathan expressed criticism towards the Indian bowling unit for failing to dismiss Dean Elgar early in the second innings. He pointed out that the bowlers lacked the necessary patience and strategic precision, which resulted in their ineffective aggressive bowling against a settled Elgar.
“Elgar is known to have problems with the short ball. You bowled short balls to him when he was batting at 60-70. In the next match, please bowl short balls to him early. He got out to short balls in 4 times in Australia and I talked about that too in the commentary. You have to bowl very well in the second match to level the series,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
“India did not have any sharpness in their bowling. The Indian bowling unit did not get the balance of attack vs defence right. When Elgar got set, even then India continued their attacking bowling as if they would get him out with one delivery,” Pathan further added.
Elgar is set to play his last Test match for the Proteas in the upcoming second Test at Newlands. Since beginning his Test career in December 2012, Elgar has amassed 5331 runs across 150 innings. His impressive record includes 14 centuries and 23 fifties, with an average of 38.35.
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