by Shashi Agarwal
Quinton de Kock has always been rated very high in South African cricket .At such a young age , he has impressed one and all by his skills. He emerged as the 4th highest leading run scorer in the 2012 edition of the Under19 World Cup. With tons of runs in the domestic circuit , he was all set to be a member of the senior team. Being a wicket keeper is the advantage which gives him the nod ahead of many others. He had an impressive start to his International career and followed it with 3 back to back centuries against India in the ODI series in South Africa.
But , it is all about limited overs game. Test cricket is completely different arena.With Graeme Smith retiring from international cricket, it just leaves a spot at the top of the order to be grabbed and Quinton deKock is most likely to get the chance.
Why South Africa Should Persist With de Kock?
With his ability to keep behind the wickets, he can decrease the workload of AB de Villiers, who’s South Africa’s premier batsman. As a batsman , de Kock is a long term prospect, who plays both spin and pace equally well. Born in South Africa, one is expected to play pace well but de Kock is equal to the task against spin, too. His centuries in UAE and in the Champions league, are a good enough indicator of how well he can play against spin.
The best thing about Kock’s batting so far has ben, his ability to convert starts into big ones. Adding to it is the fact that he is also a very gutsy player, who is not afraid to take his chances against the new ball.
In a match against Australia, he got a blow from Mitchell Starc, but continued to play after the treatment. This is something which reminds us of Sachin Tendulkar against Waqar Younis. And this also shows that, he has got a good, solid temperament.
His shot selection is really good, but his power play is as good as his touch play, which is what you need to score hundreds. He likes the game going forward and is not shy to hit boundaries even in the middle period. He has got all the shots and all the understanding. The more he plays, the more he will learn.
