Shami, Bumrah will be threat to South African batters: Dean Elgar

South Africa skipper Dean Elgar feels Indian pacers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah will be a threat for the Proteas batters in the upcoming two matches.

India clinched their first Test match in Centurion as they defeated South Africa by 113 runs on the final day of the game on Thursday. India has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. Shami picked five wickets in the first innings before completing 200 scalps in the longest format of the game on Tuesday. In the second innings, Shami dismissed three South African batters to help India win the game.

“Yeah, I think, Shami obviously posed some issues for our right-hand batters. Obviously, his wickets in the first innings reflect on that. And I would say Bumrah also, he is someone that’s always running with energy, high energy, irrespective of if he’s going for runs or not,” Elgar said while replying to a query from ANI during a virtual press conference.

“So he’s always going to challenge you as a batter You’ve got to be very mindful of facing both of them but saying that they’re quite a well-balanced attack at the moment now,” he added.

The South African skipper is also wary of pacer Mohammad Siraj but admitted that Shami and Bumrah will be the two players who can trouble the Proteas.

“Siraj can also come in and can also be a bit of a handful as he was a little bit last night. But yeah, I would say maybe the senior guys in Shami and Bumrah would be the two guys who will be a threat to South Africa,” said Elgar. India and South Africa will next lock horns in the second Test in Johannesburg from Monday.