Time for South Africa to hand over captaincy reins to Dean Elgar

South Africa have committed their fair share of mistakes since the turn of this century. In all fairness, they might have done more wrong than right in the last 20 years. In fact, taking everything into consideration, it is indeed remarkable they are where they are, given the politics, conflict, turbulence and turmoil that’s been constantly unfolding behind the scenes and sometimes even on the field. That they still find themselves being talked about as one of the elites is a testament to the quality of cricket they play. However, the mystery of cricket - and life, itself - is that you never know when you’re allowed to make your last mistake when it will turn fatal. 

From a logical standpoint, Elgar would be the most obvious choice as captain. Faf du Plessis is the only cricketer in the current side who has played more Tests than him and him having been an integral part of the side for eight years, he knows the setup through and through. Now that his only competitor, Quinton de Kock, has been ruled out of contention by Smith, it almost looks inevitable that Elgar will take over the reins in Tests. But as obvious as the choice looks and sounds, for South Africa, there is a certain need associated with it and it is a decision that simply has to be taken. 

Bestowing him with Test captaincy wouldn’t necessarily mean that all his flaws will magically be wiped away with a snap of the finger. However, what it will enable is that it will inject a sense of responsibility within him, and Elgar, throughout the course of his career, has thrived under pressure. From him carrying the bat in Johannesburg in 2018 on a wicket where there were more chances of the batsmen leaving the field on a stretcher than walking off to the pavilion to his masterful 141* in Cape Town against the Aussies with the series level at 1-1, South Africa have been exposed to the best of Elgar when he’s had his back against the wall; there’s something about a crisis that awakens the man and enrages the world-class batsman in him. 

Since the days of Graeme Smith, barring a few inspirational performances, the Proteas have always lacked a leader who they can look up to - de Villiers was overloaded and burnt out, Hashim Amla was never the right fit and du Plessis couldn’t just take it after a point. The need of the hour demands an experienced, level-headed, brave and rigid cricketer willing to shoulder responsibility and carry the team forward and in the form of Elgar, South Africa, luckily, have a readymade option. As things stand, there might be very few options at their disposal, but handing Dean Elgar the captain’s armband might just be the shot in the arm that’s needed - for both the player and the team.