Dean Elgar, a veteran South African hitter, will retire from international cricket after the conclusion of the upcoming two-test series against India.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced Elgar’s decision on Friday, with the games in Centurion and Cape Town bringing an end to a 12-year career in which he played more than 80 Tests, scored over 5000 runs, and led the Proteas 17 times in the longest form of the game.

“As the saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end,’ and the Indian home series will be my final, as I have decided to retire from our beautiful game.” A game that has taught me a lot. My final test will be in Cape Town. My favorite stadium on the planet. “A place where I scored my first Test run against New Zealand, and hopefully my last,” Elgar said in a CSA announcement.

“Playing cricket has always been a passion of mine, but the opportunity to represent your nation is the pinnacle. Having the opportunity to perform it abroad for 12 years is simply beyond my wildest thoughts. It’s been a fantastic adventure that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of, the statement further said.

“Having the opportunity to represent my country and the learnings I’ve had along my journey is something I’ll always be thankful for. It’s most definitely been the best learning experience of my life,” Elgar said.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank Cricket South Africa for investing in me from an early age and giving me the honour of representing my country. I am truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve received since U18 to date.

Elgar debuted for South Africa in the middle order in the Perth Test in 2012, where he notoriously collected a pair of ducks despite having fought his way into the selection after averaging nearly 60 in first-class cricket over the previous two years. Two Tests later, he scored an undefeated 103 against New Zealand in Gqeberha.

His batting performances earned him the captaincy of the Test team in 2021. South Africa placed third in the ICC World Test Championship in the 2021–23 cycle, with series victories at home against India and the West Indies and a drawn away series against New Zealand.

He truly came into his own when he went to partner Graeme Smith at the top of the order. Elgar was an old-school, nuggety opener who was frequently content to play attritional cricket, often putting his body on the line to occupy the crease in order to cash in later against the older ball. He made the first century by a South African opener in Sri Lanka in Galle in 2014, and over the next several years, he matured into one of the top openers in the format during a bowling period in the game.

His 160 in Visakhapatnam against R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja underscored his growth as a Test batter and the improvements he’d made against spin. He was subsequently elevated to full-time Test captaincy in 2021 and oversaw a Test series win in the West Indies and a come-from-behind win at home against India in 2021-22. That form, however, nosedived as South Africa lost away to England and Australia, and before long, changes were enforced, and Temba Bavuma replaced him at the helm of the Test side.

At the time of the retirement announcement, Elgar had 5146 runs from 84 Tests at an average of 37.28, including 13 centuries. Additionally, he participated in eight ODIs for South Africa, the final one being in 2018.

The first test will be held at the Centurion on Boxing Day, and the second test will be held in Capetown on January 3.