South Africa skipper Dean Elgar feels that India missed Virat Kohli in the second Test match from a captaincy and strategic point of view. Kohli missed the Johannesburg Test match against South Africa due to an upper-back spasm, while he has confirmed his availability for the series-decider in Cape Town.
In Kohli’s absence, opener KL Rahul captained the Indian team in Johannesburg where he faced some criticism for defensive captaincy in the second innings.
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Elgar heaped huge praise on the Indian Test captain and said his name speaks for itself and he brings a different dynamic to the game.
“Virat brings a different dynamic to the game. I don’t think I missed him. But I think potentially his team missed him, no doubt just from a captaincy point of view and maybe from a strategy point of view.
“He is a world-class player and very experienced within their squad. His name speaks for itself and it’s one of the more respected cricketers around so I wouldn’t say I missed him… But it doesn’t matter who are playing against. We as a team, we need to focus on us,” said Elgar on the eve of the third Test.
Kohli is going through a lean patch with the bat as he has failed to reach the three-digit mark in the last 23 Test innings. The 33-year-old has been under a lot of scanner for his poor conversion rate in the past few months.
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For someone who gives his 100 percent on the field and is always up for a fight, Elgar confirmed that everyone in South African team is fit for selection in his own inimitable style.
“I don’t think there’s any hiccups with regards to fitness of players… obviously, there’s always niggles when you play in a series, especially Test cricket pushes your body to the limit.
“… And I mean if you’re not a little bit sore, and if you’re not a little bit bruised, then the bowlers feet are not sore then obviously they’re not working hard enough,” he added.
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