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South Africa’s Ashwell Prince lauds Quinton de Kock’s ODI return, comparing his impact to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the India series.
Quinton de Kock has made a comeback into the ODI setup (Picture credit: AP)
South Africa’s batting coach, Ashwell Prince, has said that Quinton de Kock’s return to the ODI setup has had an analogous 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 might be back in motion when South Africa face India in the primary ODI in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30.
On the pre-match press conference, Prince weighed in on de Kock’s return to the large stage.
“He has an analogous effect on us as Rohit and Virat have on India. His quality in Pakistan was clear and his presence is huge, 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 within the three-match ODI tour of Pakistan, scoring 239 runs at an excellent average of 119.5.
Asked about Rohit and Kohli’s potential impact within the ODI series, Prince acknowledged that the pair could possibly be an actual threat, but maintained that South Africa would stay locked in on their plans.
“They’re world-class and dangerous. We are inclined to attempt to concentrate on what kind of damage we may cause the opposition fairly than focus an excessive amount of on how they’ll hurt us,” Prince said.
The previous South Africa cricketer conceded that they’re still understanding their ideal ODI lineup, with much of their recent attention directed toward the upcoming T20 World Cup and Test commitments.
“We now have been capable of try different combos within the 50-over space and we still have time before getting near a final squad,” Prince said.
November 29, 2025, 22:38 IST
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