IND vs SA: Dean Elgar Reveals How He Fired Up Kagiso Rabada To Perform Against India On Day 3 Of Second Test

South African skipper Dean Elgar shared an interesting story about how he rallied behind Kagiso Rabada to produce his best in the second innings of the second Test. The fiery pacer took three wickets in the s second innings and key wickets at that as India were bowled out for 266 in the second innings.

Rabada dismissed both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane after both got to their respective fifties. He then came back to dismiss Rishabh Pant who threw his wicket away after an altercation with Rassie Van der Dussen.

I Know What Kagiso Rabada Is Capable Of: Dean Elgar

Elgar in his post-match presser spoke about how he fired up Kagiso Rabada to bowl at his best in the second innings. It was his wickets in quick succession to dismiss the well-settled Pujara and Rahane that started the slide for India in the second innings.

“I went up to KG (Kagiso Rabada) and I said to him, you are an immensely respected cricketer within our group and at the moment I don’t think you are conducting yourself extremely well. I know what KG is capable of. When KG’s got his tail up, there’s no better bowler than him and I have experienced quite a few guys who have been part of this team,” said Elgar during the virtual press conference.

“It was a good chat. I can have those chats with KG and he responds extremely well. He takes it away, he lets it process and thinks about it overnight and then he comes back the next day with a scenario for me. He can sometimes be a little bit too relaxed and he needs to understand that his performance on the field and his performance in the change-room is huge” he further added.

Elgar further lauded the pacer’s attitude and said that he was the open who opened the game up for them.

“KG – that spell he bowled, broke the game open for us. There was a bit of a spark in the dressing room, maybe it was what was needed in order to get him into that space. and we know when KG is like that it’s difficult to get the ball away from him but also you want him on your side rather than the opposition team. There were fair words that were said and I think he’s taken it on board and we’re hoping we can get him into that sweet spot again for the next Test because it can only bode well for us,” said Elgar.

Skipper Dean Elgar scored an unbeaten 96 to help his side draw level in the series with contributions from Dussen (40) and Bavuma (23*) and Keegan Petersen (28).

Also Read: We Couldn’t Have Written A Better Script – Dean Elgar Exclaims After South Africa’s Historic Win In Second Test