Dean Elgar has announced his retirement from Test cricket, with the New Year’s Test against India in Cape Town set to be his last.

Elgar has played 84 Tests so far, having led South Africa in 17 of them from 2017 to 2023. The left-handed opening batter has more than five thousand runs to his name in Test cricket at an average of 37.28.

Elgar made his Test debut for South Africa in 2012 and is set to call time on a 12-year-long career. He expressed his gratitude for the same in a statement. “Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate!” Elgar said.

“Having had the privilege to do it for 12 years internationally is simply beyond my wildest dreams. It has been an incredible journey that I have been fortunate enough to have.”

The India series is scheduled to start with a Boxing Day Test in Centurion and will be followed by the New Year’s Test in Centurion, which is set to be Elgar’s last.

South Africa are scheduled to travel to New Zealand for a two-Test series in February which will clash with the SA20 competition, leading to several first-choice players missing out in South Africa’s Test team. Elgar, being one of the most senior players in the side, could have been back at the helm, leading the Proteas for that series, but that possibility seems to have gone out of the window with his announcement.

Elgar has not had the best of times in Test cricket in the last two years, having only managed 721 runs from 27 innings at an average of 27.7. His last Test century came almost three years back in the New Year’s Test against Sri Lanka in 2021.

He did, however, had a good outing the last time India toured South Africa. Elgar scored 235 runs in the series at an average of 47 with two crucial fifties, taking South Africa to a 2-1 series victory after losing the first Test. He would hope to be able to repeat those performances and go out with a bang. South Africa are 9/4 with Betway to win the first Test.

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