Dean Elgar has revealed what he said to Kagiso Rabada after the opening day of the Wanderers Test, which helped to bring the best out of the Proteas fast bowler.

Rabada went wicketless on day one, but went on to finish with seven as South Africa claimed a famous seven-wicket win against India to level the Test series.

At the post-match press conference, Elgar – whose 96* saw him named the Match of the Match – said he had confronted Rabada after play on Wednesday.

“I went up to KG and I said to him, ‘You are an immensely respected cricketer within our group and at the moment I don’t think you are conducting yourself extremely well,” Elgar said.

“I know what KG is capable of. When KG’s got his tail up, there’s no better bowler than him and I have experienced quite a few guys who have been part of this team.

“It was a good chat. I can have those chats with KG and he responds extremely well. He takes it away, he lets it process and thinks about it overnight and then he comes back the next day with a scenario for me.

“He was the one who came to me [later on] and said what we spoke about: I hit the nail on the head.”

When asked what his issue with Rabada was, Elgar said: “He can sometimes be a little bit too relaxed and he needs to understand that his performance on the field and his performance in the change-room is huge.”

Rabada also lifted his game when a catch offered by Ajinkya Rahane was missed by Aiden Markram and Keegan Petersen early on the third day.

“I think that also spurred him up a hell of a lot and you can almost sense that intensity on the field,” Elgar said. “He was so focused and zoned in on his job at hand. And every time I asked him, do you want one more, he just said to me he is bowling now.”

Rabada went on to take three wickets in 11 deliveries as part of a lengthy spell, and is now the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 13 at 19.61.

“KG has got that attitude, and he’s got the want and he wants to bowl and he wants to contribute in a massive way,” said Elgar. “I mean, you have to utilise that as a captain. So it was awesome to see him fire.

“I think he executed. He was understanding his value within the group.”