Dean Elgar embodies South Africa’s fighting spirit, the tough man retires after test series against India
South Africa has always been blessed with gutsy and resilient players representing the Proteas, and Dean Elgar is no exception. He’s a phenomenal opener with unwavering commitment to putting the team first throughout his career.
It’s no easy feat for an opener to maintain outstanding consistency. They face challenging conditions all the time. Yet, what we’ve seen from Elgar over the years, both as an opener and during his leadership stint, is a remarkable mindset that never faltered.
His focus was on holding things together during that transitional period after South Africa’s golden generation, where superstars built an impregnable test cricket defense.
With a few young faces joining the team, Elgar became the leader of the pack. He instilled in them a passion and dedication to winning for South Africa. While success wasn’t always immediate, the underlying aim was to build a fighting spirit and a signature South African style of test cricket characterized by “grind and fight” as long as you’re out there on the field.
Elgar’s test debut against Australia wasn’t a highlight. He scored a pair, getting dismissed for zero in both innings of the Perth test. However, South Africa went on to win by a comfortable margin. From that point onwards, Elgar never looked back. His gritty nature kept him in high standing among his teammates.
Elgar himself has said that he doesn’t care about being remembered for the highest average, the most centuries, or anything like that. For him, it’s all about being a team player. And every team needs a fighter like him for good reason.
Because when the situation gets tough and demands a tough character, Elgar is the player who will stand tall, absorb countless blows, and, with his unwavering perseverance, keep fighting on every single ball of the match.
Teamwork has always been at the heart of South African cricket. There’s never been a time in history when this team relied solely on individual heroes. So, it’s all about how a player is nurtured in such an environment.
Elgar embodies that spirit, that pride that comes with representing the Proteas. Even when results don’t go their way, this has been a defining feature of Dean Elgar’s personality: he never backs down.
