Dean Elgar believes India will whitewash South Africa in the Test series
Dean Elgar predicts India will whitewash South Africa in the two-match Test series, citing home ground advantage and balanced team lineups, despite South Africa’s challenging start at Eden Gardens. Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP
Image: Adrian Dennis/AFP
After two sessions in the first Test between South Africa and India at Eden Gardens on Friday, it’s difficult to argue with former Proteas opener Dean Elgar, who believes the hosts will whitewash the Proteas in the two-match series.
South Africa had crashed to 154/8 by tea on day one, and working their way back into the clash from that position will certainly take a mammoth effort.
In fact, the Test started on a bad note for the Proteas as fast bowling spearhead Kagiso Rabada was ruled out due to injury shortly before the start of play.
As a result, fast bowling allrounder Corbin Bosch was included in the playing XI as the batting lineup received quite a boost. Ahead of the series, Elgar was his usual outspoken self.
Elgar Predicts India’s 2-0 Victory Over South Africa, Citing Home Ground Advantage and Balanced Team Lineups
“I’m going to say India will win 2-0. I'm just saying that purely because of the home ground advantage for them. I look at their bowlers that they still have; they've still got some seriously class bowlers,” Elgar told SportsBoom.co.za.
“I think just purely based on that, I'm sitting on the fence here as a neutral. I would still think India would be the team and the favourites to win it. I could be proven wrong, but hopefully I'm proven wrong. But it's going to be hard work to win two Tests or one Test in India now.”
The makeup of both teams was still evenly matched, believed Elgar.
“If you put both teams on paper and you put the papers next to each other, I'd say it's pretty evenly balanced. On the Indian side, there's no one really there that's screaming out. Maybe Ravindra Jadeja, for instance, but he's been around the block and he's an all-rounder. So, obviously, they'll be weighing heavily on him to perform,” said Elgar.
“There's no one really that's jumping out at you like a Rohit Sharma, like a Virat Kohli, like an Ashwin, where they had five or six guys that if you look at the paper, you're like, oh wow, okay, we're going to have to really be on it here."