Elgar issues rallying cry for Proteas

South Africa opening batsman Dean Elgar feels there is still much to play for in the third and final Test with India despite the Proteas being 2-0 behind. South Africa have struggled on the sub-continent to date, going down by 203 runs in Visakhapatnam before defeat by an innings and 137 runs in Pune last time out. In years gone by, the third match of the series would have been termed a ‘dead-rubber’. However, the introduction of the Test Championship means that every game is important and will count towards the team’s standing. It has been a tough slog for the Africans but Elgar feels sure they will make one last effort given what is on the line. “Back in the day it was always a bit of a dead-rubber game, but now with the World Test Championships around, we still have points to play for,” he said. “We can still get 40 points by following our process against India in the last Test. There is still a lot to play for. “We still motivate everyone within our squad. It has been a challenging few weeks, but it’s still not too gloomy for us. We are upbeat, the morale in the camp is still very good.”