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IND vs SA: De Kock Says Retirement Reversal Was Well Thought Out

Quinton de Kock sublime 90 off 46 balls in the second T20I against India was a testament to the left-hander's renewed purpose in playing for the country again

His sublime 90 off 46 balls in the second T20I against India was a testament to the left-hander's renewed purpose in playing for the country again. In the age of power-hitting, de Kock relies on conventional strokeplay and makes batting look effortless.

The 32-year-old had retired from ODIs after the 2023 World Cup and had not played the shortest format since the loss to India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final until October.

De Kock is now back playing white-ball cricket and says the time away from the game actually allowed him to realise what he was missing out on.

"I think prior to my retirement, I was losing my hunger to win games for this team. That time away just brought back my hunger. I was telling the guys, I don't think I've ever felt this way," de Kock spoke in depth about his reasons for an international comeback.

"Before when you're young, you're trying to just play to score runs and impress. I feel now that there's a renewed energy where I'm not just playing. I'm playing to win every game with a renewed energy." De Kock said he had lost his motivation after going through the grind of international cricket day in and day out.

"Before, it would be hard to wake up and go play for the team again. Especially when you play a series over and over where you've played India multiple times, home and away. Over time, I was getting sick of it. I was looking for a new challenge and I wasn't getting it.

"Now coming back, I feel like this is actually what I missed. Everyone knows, you never know what you have until you've lost it. Now coming back, there's a renewed energy where I feel I can play much longer than what I thought previously," said the elegant left-hander.

Now that he has found the drive to excel for his team in white-ball formats, is there a possibility for a return to Test cricket? "You are not the only one who has asked me this but as of now it's a straight no," de Kock said on a lighter note.

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/ind-vs-sa-decision-to-reverse-retirement-was-taken-after-due-deliberation-says-de-kock/article70387616.ece