Dean Elgar, on the eve of retirement, and new cap David Bedingham took South Africa into the lead on the second day of the first Test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.
Elgar made a boundary-studded 140 not out and Bedingham an assured 56 as South Africa reached 256 for five – a lead of 11 runs – when bad light stopped play.
Two late wickets kept India in the game, especially as there was no sign that South African captain Temba Bavuma would bat after suffering a hamstring strain on the first day.
There was no update on his condition from the South African dressing room but he remained in his tracksuit while other batsmen took their turns to pad up.
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KL Rahul scored 101 for India – his eighth Test century and his second in successive matches in Centurion – and was last man out when India were dismissed for 245.
Elgar, 36, who has announced he will retire from international cricket after the second Test in Cape Town next week, had to survive a challenging start against Indian new ball bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
But the left-handed opening batsman blossomed with some of the most fluent stroke play of his career when India surprisingly did not use the two strike bowlers immediately after lunch.
Elgar reached his fifty off 79 balls with ten fours and his 14th Test century was made off 140 deliveries with nine more boundaries. His scoring rate slowed as he went on the defensive in increasingly poor light before play was called off. He had faced 211 balls and hit 23 fours.
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Elgar, who plays his domestic cricket for the Centurion-based Northerns Titans, ended the second day on 140 not out — his first Test century at his home ground.
The left-hander, who retires after this two-Test series, previously scored home Test centuries in Cape Town and Gqeberha (two each), Durban, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg so he was delighted to complete the set.
“It’s a special game for me, my last international fixture here, and my family and friends are watching.
“I haven’t had a Test hundred at Centurion before — it’s the one that got away so I’m very happy to be on the board.
“I’ve now got hundreds at all the Test venues in South Africa, which is pretty cool.
“We spoke about it in the changeroom, some of the guys thought I had made a few centuries here, but I had to tell them I’ve been rubbish here,” said Elgar, whose previous highest score at the venue was 95 against Sri Lanka in 2020.
“Conditions were in favour of the bowlers with clouds overhead and the green of the pitch, but things went my way.
“With the intensity that the Indian bowlers brought, your mindset definitely has to be to look to score, combined with your defence and leaving the ball.
“The ball is moving around and there’s going to be one with your name on it, no doubt. But if you’re looking to score then you get into better positions and capitalise on the ball that’s overpitched or sits up a bit,” Elgar said.
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Bedingham, 29, has played English county cricket for Durham since 2020 and there was speculation that he would attempt to qualify for England.
But new South African Test coach Shukri Conrad called him up for the Test squad and he looked comfortable from the start of his innings A tall right-hander, he went into his debut Test with a solid average of 49.51 compiled over 86 first-class matches, 44 of them for Durham. He hit seven fours and two sixes in an 87-ball innings while helping Elgar add 131 for the fourth wicket.
South Africa added 145 runs for the loss of two wickets in 33 overs in an afternoon session extended to make up for overs lost in a rain-hit first day.
But India came back strongly after tea, with Siraj bowling Bedingham with a full delivery and debutant Prasidh Krishna claiming a first Test wicket when Kyle Verreynne flashed outside his off stump to be caught behind.
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