South Africa’s batting coach, Ashwell Prince, has said that Quinton de Kock’s return to the ODI setup has had a similar effect on the team as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s availability for India, as he lauded de Kock’s experience ahead of a three-match series.
De Kock retired from ODIs after the 2023 World Cup but reversed his decision in September. He returned for the Pakistan tour and the one-off T20I in Namibia and will be back in action when South Africa face India in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30.
At the pre-match press conference, Prince weighed in on de Kock’s return to the big stage.
“He has a similar effect on us as Rohit and Virat have on India. His quality in Pakistan was clear and his presence is massive, especially
for young batters who get to learn from him,” Prince said.
De Kock, who returned to ODIs after reversing his post-2023 World Cup retirement, starred as Player of the Series in the three-match ODI tour of Pakistan, scoring 239 runs at an outstanding average of 119.5.
Asked about Rohit and Kohli’s potential impact in the ODI series, Prince acknowledged that the pair could be a real threat, but maintained that South Africa would stay locked in on their plans.
“They are world-class and dangerous. We tend to try to focus on what sort of damage we can cause the opposition rather than focus too much on how they can hurt us,” Prince said.
The former South Africa cricketer conceded that they are still working out their ideal ODI lineup, with much of their recent attention directed toward the upcoming T20 World Cup and Test commitments.
“We have been able to try different combinations in the 50-over space and we still have time before getting close to a final squad,” Prince said.
