If making tough runs is an art, Dean Elgar is the artist

5th January, 2022, 30.4 overs have materialized in South Africa’s fourth innings, with their skipper Dean Elgar holding fort superbly. They are, by the way, hunting down 240 at the Wanderers and are looking to win against India for the first time ever at this venue.

Before the game, there have been accusations labelled at the Proteas that they were too crumbly under pressure and that they couldn’t hold their own, especially when push came to shove.

At Johannesburg, they’d done well to dispel those doubts for a large chunk of the opening three days, although there is a feeling that the final verdict would shape perceptions of how the Proteas fared.

Jasprit Bumrah, who has bowled with fire throughout the game, gallops into his delivery stride. He pitches the ball on a back of a length and gets it to rear uncomfortably at Elgar. The South African skipper tries to get out of the way but only cops a blow on the grille for his troubles.

Immediately, he kneels down, shuts his eyes and tries to visualize and understand what has happened. The ball, apart from being a stinging blow, is evidence that batting could become treacherous henceforth. And, is perhaps even a signal that India are smelling blood (literally and metaphorically).

For a moment, Elgar’s mind even goes back to a similar run-chase against India at the Wanderers in 2018. On that instance, he was battered and bruised, with the visitors desperately hoping for him to submit.

He didn’t. He batted throughout that particular fourth essay and while it wasn’t enough to secure a positive result, it was a reminder of the qualities that Elgar is emblematic of.

Just as quickly, though, the left-handed returns to reality. He has a good chat with the physio, convinces him that he isn’t harboring any after-effects but more importantly, realizes what lies ahead.

Akin to many expectations, Bumrah tests out the middle of the wicket again, longing that a rattled Elgar would do something out of the ordinary. He doesn’t. He calmly ducks underneath it and gives out the impression of someone who has never taken a blow to the head.

A few overs later, a Shardul Thakur delivery jumps off a length and thuds into the batter’s gloves. This time, the South African captain tries to shake it off but has to, rather unwillingly, call on the physio for more help. The same process repeats and Elgar is up on his feet, ready to thwart whatever the Indians have to throw at him.

The difference this time, though, is that India have gotten tired and Elgar has only begun relishing the contest. He has been hit, he was perhaps an inch away from ending up with a bloodied ear, he could’ve fractured his finger but he somehow still wants more.

Elgar was hit by a number of deliveries

Dean Elgar led South Africa to victory at the Wanderers

It’s crazy. It really is. No batter is trained to take that kind of punishment and then expect to put his best foot forward. Elgar, however, is no ordinary batter. He is a little crazy and of course, the batter who perennially treads the line between being brave and being stupid.

Anyone who watched this essay in isolation, would argue that such a method doesn’t work and that Elgar would, at some point, be afraid of the ball endangering his safety. That, though, couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The South African batter has made a habit of scoring “tough runs”. He gets runs when no one else wants to bat and he gets them in a manner that would make most dizzy. But he gets runs and that – as he showed at the Wanderers, is all that matters ultimately.

Throughout his career, the left-handed batter has carried his bat thrice. Two of those came during the 2017-18 season. While one was against India at Johannesburg, the other was against Australia at Newlands (yes, that Sandpaper gate game).

Rather understandably, the headlines were hogged by incidents out of Elgar’s control. But then again, he has never been one to cast himself knowingly into the limelight or play to the gallery. That, by the way, is also why he is underrated on so many counts.

Apart from that, he also has an excellent record when opposition teams have won the toss and have elected to bowl first. Usually, this happens when the pitch is expected to aid the bowlers. So, if the South African captain averages around 60, he is clearly doing something most others aren’t.

His overall average, post his masterclass at the Wanderers, is a tick over 40 (40.25). In the first innings of a game, he averages 52.84. He has an equally impressive tally in the fourth innings (39.95). And, considering how volatile pitches are at the start and towards the end of a match in South Africa, both are pretty remarkable feats.

Most tellingly, though, Elgar seems to have a penchant for standing up when its required most. In the recent past, South African haven’t uprooted many trees in Test cricket. But whenever they have come close, the left-handed batter has been a leading light.

Years ago, the Proteas had the luxury of calling upon Graeme Smith at the top of the order – another feisty batter who could stand his ground in the face of adversity. At the time, many felt Elgar was perhaps the closest South Africa could get, in terms of a replacement.

Though the current South African captain hasn’t batted with a broken arm yet, you feel he won’t flinch if asked to do so too. He could even walk on fire or glass if the Proteas asked him to.

Elgar is like a spring. The harder you try to press him down by applying physical pressure, the quicker he gets back up. Cricketers like him aren’t ubiquitous and that is why the left-handed batter, while he is still at it, should get all the appreciation he deserves. If making tough runs is indeed an art (which you assume it is), Elgar is most certainly the most adroit artist going around.

For those with a more Hollywood inclination, the eternal Rocky Balboa had once said, “Life isn’t about how hard you hit. But how much you can get hit and keeping moving forward.” You can probably start imagining Elgar tightening his gloves for a brawl with Ivan Drago too, can’t you?

In a nutshell, that explains who he is and why he should be celebrated. Grit, determination and perseverance are usually the adjectives attached to someone of his ilk. For some reason, though, that too doesn’t seem enough.

Maybe, it is time Elgar is used as an adjective – all by himself. And, you can be pretty sure there won’t be many who would complain!