Proteas opening batsman Dean Elgar openly says he will consider taking up the role as new Test captain should CSA present him with the opportunity.
The debate on who will replace Faf du Plessis as the new skipper in the longer format of the game has been spiking recently, with Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram both publicly saying they will be up for the task.
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Middle-order batsmen Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen are also two names believed to be in the hat for the position.
Elgar, though, has captained the Proteas Test team twice in the past and is the most experienced player from the five candidates.
‘It is not an easy journey being a Test captain, but leadership is something that comes extremely naturally to me. I have done the captaincy thing in the past; I have done it from school level to provincial level and now in a few franchise teams. I have really enjoyed it,’ said the 32-year-old.
Former skipper Du Plessis announced his resignation from the role as captain for the Proteas in the Test and limited-overs format in February and was subsequently replaced by Quinton de Kock in the ODI and T2oI set-up.
CSA, however, has made it clear that De Kock will not be given the responsibility of leading the Test team as well to ease his workload as wicketkeeper.
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It ultimately opened the door for a handful of candidates, which range from youngsters to the more seasoned players like Elgar, while Bavuma could become the first black captain of South Africa.
Vernon Philander’s retirement, though, means Elgar will be the second most-capped player in the Test team behind Du Plessis with 63 games.
‘If I was asked to do the captaincy it is definitely something that I will think long and hard about, it will mean a lot to me. But, it is not a job interview and you have got to respect the people, who are making the decisions, whichever way they chose.
‘I’ll definitely have a think about it, long and hard, if it is up for negotiation potentially,’ he added.
Elgar also believes he has grown immensely as a player and leader over the years due to the players he had the privilege of sharing a dressing room with.
‘I think my learning has definitely been quite vast in that regard because of the personnel that I have had before me in the change room.
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‘As a person you never stop growing really. There is still a lot of growth coming and hopefully what I have learned I can pass it on to the younger guys.’
