South Africa captain Dean Elgar heaped praise on India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of the series-opening Boxing Day Test match starting on December 26. The left-handed opening batter referred Ashwin as “one of the best off-spinners India have ever produced.” Ashwin is currently India's third highest wicket-taker in Tests only behind the greats Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev. The off-spinner will be India's lead spinner in the three-match Test series in South Africa and will have to take the bulk of responsibility in the absence of left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who has been ruled out of the series with an injury.
"India is a good side, they tick all the boxes. Ashwin is a quality bowler, probably one of the best off-spinners India have ever produced. We will be mindful of that, it will be a challenge to compete against them," Elgar said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
The South African captain was well aware of the damage that Ashwin has caused to his side when touring India.
"I do not think Ravichandran Ashwin has had much success in South Africa which is okay for us. You cannot really compare to the success he has had against our batters in India because conditions are so different. We have to focus on our gameplan, each player has been working on his individual gameplan. It is important not to focus on just one player in their lineup," added Elgar.
Talking about India's bowling attack, Elgar said: "India has an immensely improved bowling lineup. As I mentioned earlier, we will be mindful of the fact that we will be up against a very good bowling attack. Being in South Africa, we will feel a lot more accustomed to our own conditions. Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage. We know it will be tough but it will be tough for the India batters to face our attack as well."
"I rather be sitting here than possibly sitting in the Indian dressing room knowing they have to face our bowlers," he added.
When asked about the conditions in Centurion, Elgar said: "I hope rain stays away, there has been a lot of rain so hopefully that stays away. Centurion has been providing very good wickets. It has always been a pretty good place if you apply yourself as a batter. With the ball in hand, you can exploit the conditions if you have extra pace and bounce."
"If you apply yourself as a batter, you can score runs at Centurion. If you have some skill and you are willing to stay patient, the bowlers can also enjoy themselves at Centurion," he added.
India are slated to play three Tests and three ODIs in their South Africa tour.
(With ANI inputs)