At the end of the second Test on Thursday, Virat Kohli gifted an Indian team-signed jersey to Dean Elgar. This happened at Newlands, Cape Town.
The South African batter had said he’d retire from global cricket after playing two Tests against India. The second Test’s opening day was his last. Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar dismissed him with scores of 4 and 12 respectively.
After Elgar’s final international game, Virat Kohli met him for a talk and a hug. They even joked around a bit, bringing up their past run-in with the disputed DRS situation in their 2021 tour.
In the Final Test innings, Elgar led South Africa onto the field for the last time while wearing a guard of honor. Despite a heroic century by Aiden Markram on Day 2, South Africa had only managed to establish a target of 79 runs. In just 12 overs and three wickets down, Team India achieved their first-ever victory at the ground.
Back in 2015, Virat Kohli’s Indian team gave a nod to Kumar Sangakkara. This happened during India’s Sri Lanka visit. Sangakkara, a top-tier wicketkeeper-batter, wrapped up his career after Colombo’s second Test.
In another event, Ajinkya Rahane’s Team India gave Nathan Lyon a signed shirt. This was for Lyon’s 100th Test during Australia’s 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“Glad that I don’t have to face these guys again” – Dean Elgar
Player of the Series was to Dean Elgar, who captained his final Test match without Temba Bavuma. In the first Test, which the Proteas won by an innings and 37 runs, the tough opener had hit a match-winning 185.
“I would have liked to do more in this game. Still very proud of my performance I had in Centurion. Nice to contribute to a winning cause. Some really tough conditions throughout. It (a three-match Test series) would have been fantastic. You want to challenge yourself, Bumrah is world-class, he deserves this award. You want to push yourself to limits.”
Dean Elgar
Dean Elgar Added:
“Glad that I don’t have to face these guys again. Fond memories. We’ve come a long way. Very grateful to play against these guys,” Elgar said during the post-match presentation in Cape Town.”
Dean Elgar