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Gritty and Brave Dean Elgar: A rare character for the modern T20-eulogising generation

Skipper Dean Elgar takes his team home scoring match winning 96* off 188 balls in tough conditions at Wanderers.

Gritty and Brave Dean Elgar: A rare character for the modern T20-eulogising generation, Dean Elgar gets player of the match for his match winning half century in 4th innings at Johannesburg
Dean Elgar gets player of the match for his match winning half century in 4th innings (©GettyImages)

In the modern era of T20 cricket, quite often players come on the 22-yards with an ambition of being risky and hit more balls than leaving them alone. After leaving a few deliveries, it seems as if their nerve provides them the sole message of going hard at the next ball.


Just when the old Test cricket spectators had enough of their patience in finding a lad to clap for his ability to leave and block the balls, a 34-year-old from Welkom named Dean Elgar would walk past with a bright smile throwing some thoughtful words, “Hey, didn’t you notice me!”


A courageous player with top-class determination

“Some would call it stupid and some would call it brave,” the South African Test captain Dean Elgar was to say about his match-winning knock of 96* off 188 deliveries during the second Test against India at Wanderers in Johannesburg. Even though the innings included 10 boundaries, most of them were scored at the tail-end of the game just because his side was near the winning mark.


But what the scorecard didn’t indicate was his fighting spirit and toughness to stand