"Quinny has a similar effect": SA coach compares de Kock with Kohli and Rohit

Quinton de Kock reversed his ODI retirement recently [Source- LawrenceBailey0/X.com]

South Africa's wicketkeeper batter Quinton de Kock recently decided to reverse his ODI retirement and returned to the field for the Proteas in Pakistan. The player had decided to step aside from international cricket, having last played in the ODI at the World Cup 2023. While he never retired from T20Is, he was not part of the squad after the T20 World Cup 2024.

After playing the white-ball series in Pakistan, he will now be key to his team's chances as they face India in ODIs from December 30 in Ranchi.

Prince hails de Kock's impact on the team

As the southpaw returned to the squad, SA batting coach Ashwell Prince spoke highly of his importance to the young dressing room, drawing similarities with the Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

"He's big, he's massive. With Rohit and Virat 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," said Ashwell Prince, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Citing the number of lefty batters in the current South African setup, Prince further revealed the mentorship role de Kock could take over to help out the young lot and help them grow.

"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. He is a big influence for us," he further added.

Since his international return, de Kock finished as the highest run-getter in the Pakistan ODIs, scoring his 22nd ODI century (123*) and two fifties (63 and 53) in their 1-2 series loss.

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