The Story:
Dean Elgar will be replacing regular skipper Faf du Plessis as the leader of the Proteas side in the opening Test against England at the Lords which is set to commence on Thursday. The established opener will become the 12th Test captain since readmission to captain the South African Test team.
Faf du Plessis’ family commitments have forced him to miss the opening Test. The 35-year-old is all prepared to welcome a baby girl but his return to England has been delayed due to medical reasons.
Proudest Moment of His Career
Elgar is upbeat about the new challenge that has come his way. He describes this opportunity as the proudest moment of his career.
“It’s the proudest day so far in my career,” he said at Lord’s on Wednesday.
The build-up, the childhood stories and the prospect of starting his captaincy journey at the Mecca of Cricket have made him very excited. But, the seasoned international cricketer is fully aware of the fact that he shouldn’t get too overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“Everything about Lord’s seems to make you want to do better. You hear all the stories about the game when you are growing up and you see on the TV, those are your first-hand experiences, it always looks so nice. Once you reach the big arena all those memories come flooding back and you have the first-hand opportunity to play here and try to do well here. It is an enhanced feeling when you get here, an emotion that gets you to try and do well.
Focussed On Staying Calm
Elgar states that he will be concentrating on playing the upcoming Test as just another normal Test. He just expects his boys to get the job done.
“With the captaincy, you have to look at it like any other game of cricket,” he continued. “You can’t let the occasion get the better of you. You have to think about the team first and the venue later. You can sit on the balcony after the day’s play and admire what has happened or play it back in your head. From a captaincy point, you can’t let the venue overwhelm you, it’s great to give it the acknowledgement and respect it deserves but you still have a job to do, the 11 guys have a job to do.”
Elgar is often praised for his gutsy personality. He feels would help him counter the pressure. Head coach Russell Domingo has already endorsed that this skill will help him take control of things naturally.
“If you take it off the field, I’m a reserved and quiet guy,” he explained. “If I get to know individuals I’m a bit of a clown. Once I cross the line, you can see it in my batting, I’m a little bit tougher and nuggety. In that sense, the captaincy vibe will be in those lines, at a little bit more aggressive and be being more of a fighter out there. Taking the play to the opposition.”
Read More: (Russell Domingo re-applies for Proteas head coach post)
Somerset Experience Will Help
The left-hander will enter the series with some great experience of playing for Somerset County Cricket Club where he enjoyed a prolific run-scoring time with 517 runs at an average of 47 and finished as the leading batsman for the club in the four-day County Championship. Many other members including pace bowling attack leader Kagiso Rabada have gained some crucial practice before the start of the series.
“I loved it,” he said of his time. “It was a good three months for me at Somerset. I came here to try and give myself the best opportunity to do well in this Test series and to gain experience in foreign conditions. I wanted to try and play as much cricket as possible. It was a good outing for me, I played a lot of cricket in that period in various formats, and I’d like to think that I’ve learnt a lot in three months from a playing point of view.”