No need for panic says Dean Elgar
Protea's captain, Dean Elgar says there is no need for his team to panic.
Elgar is confident that South Africa can bounce back and draw level in the Freedom Series when they face India in the second Betway Test starting on Monday in Johannesburg.
"We've had a few very good conversations since the first Test finished," says Elgar.
"The message that we've come out with is we don't need to panic as a unit. I still think we've got a lot of capable players within the side even if some of them are quite inexperienced, but they also have to take responsibility. One or two poor innings with the bat do not make them bad cricketers and backing them is an extremely important thing going forward in Test cricket. That's how you build and grow your Test team," he said.
India has never lost a Test at the Wanderers where their five visits have yielded three draws and two wins. This time, though, the South Africans will know that they will have to win to keep their prospects of victory in the series alive.
"I think the surface will play a lot better than it has in recent times," Elgar stated. "They have a new groundsman now in Evan (Flint) and I think he's been trying to make it more batting-friendly or a little bit more of a better cricket wicket that creates better Test cricket. But irrespective of how the wicket plays, we as batsmen have to put our hands up. We have to take more ownership and responsibility for the positions we've been given. Hopefully, it works that way," said Elgar.
He said Kyle Verreynne will start behind the stumps, but a final decision over the starting XI has not yet been made.
ALSO READ:
