Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], November 29 : Ahead of the first ODI against India, South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince praised wicketkeeper/batter Quinton De Kock's skills, highlighting his ability to make a difference in big games, which Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bring to India.
South Africa will clash with India in the first ODI of the three-match series at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday. The ODI series follows India's humiliating 2-0 defeat by the Proteas, during which Team India struggled in both batting and bowling.
De Kock made a remarkable comeback to international cricket, reversing his decision to retire after the 2023 World Cup. He rejoined the South Africa team earlier this year and had a standout performance in Pakistan, scoring 239 runs in three matches at an impressive average of 119.5.
"I think he's big, he's [Quinton de Kock] massive. With Rohit [Sharma] and Virat [Kohli] coming to the Indian team, I think Quinny probably has a similar effect coming into our team with his experience, with his quality that we saw in Pakistan," South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince told the reporters.
Ashwell believes De Kock's presence has had a significant impact on South Africa's young players, particularly left-handed batsmen. His experience and expertise have helped them grow, both in the dressing room and on the field.
"His presence definitely boosted the dressing room, and we got quite a few young left-handers and just quite a few young players in the team. For them to sit around and have a few conversations with him and also be out with him in the middle and bat with him, I think that does a lot for their growth - being able to bat with him out in the middle. So he is a big influence for us," he added.
De Kock is one of the most experienced players in the Proteas squad, having smashed 7009 ODI runs in 158 matches at an average of 46.72. He is the fifth-highest run getter for his nation in the format. De Kock also has 22 hundreds and 32 fifties under his belt in the 50-over format.
While the hosts' return of star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is expected to boost the Indian team's morale, especially given their impressive ODI records in India.