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Dean Elgar called debutant Nandre Burger the "shining light" for South Africa cricket following Proteas victory by an innings and 32 runs against India in the 1st Test on Thursday.
Elgar who is playing his farewell series set the tone of the game with his blitzkrieg 185 in the first innings. His exuberant knock lifted the spirits of the South African team and propelled them to a score of 408 runs in the first innings. Burger with ice in his veins and fire in his heart, humbled India batters with his figure of 4-33. Elgar hailed Burger after the game and said, "Good partnerships with Tony, and then Jansen showed his talent as well. You need fast bowlers and a spinner potentially to take 20 wickets, that's how we win Test matches. KG was brilliant, but then Nandre showed why he has been such a shining light for South African cricket." Elgar also talked about his magical knock and the approach he took on a surface which got better of most of the batters. "Pretty special knock. Sometimes what we want to do hasn't worked out as plans, but happy that it worked today. I think you need to keep things nice and simple, the game is already pretty complex. Focus on the ball, play nice and straight. Play late and be great. You got to ride the roller when it is in your favour," Elgar added. Burger with his lethal bouncers and precise line and length pushed India batters back against the wall. A game that seemed to be headed for the fourth day was concluded on the third day itself. India batters were no match for South Africa pacers as the pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Burger ran through India's entire batting line-up. Virat Kohli was the sole batter who knew how to churn out runs on a surface which proved to be too much for the rest of the batters. After a dismal start to their second innings, South Africa struck India hard by removing Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahu in quick succession. After Burger removed Ravichandran Ashwin for a golden duck, India's fate was more or less sealed. Jasprit Bumrah's runout following a brilliant effort in the field by Dean Elgar caused a mood of dismay. A brilliant review from the South Africa team saw Mohammed Siraj gloving the ball straight to the wicketkeeper. Prasidh Krishna struggled hard but Jansen got the better of Kohli (76) which brought an end to India's struggle within the first three days. (ANI)
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