"That time away just brought back my hunger." Quinton de Kock on reversing International retirement
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Legendary South African batter Quinton de Kock came out of international retirement to play for South Africa in limited-overs cricket. He has clarified that he has felt the hunger to win games for the national team during the span when he is away from international cricket.
Quinton de Kock has been the centre piece of South Africa's famous win at New Chandigarh after a disappointing start in Cuttack. He scored 90 off just 46 balls, and he feels that his break from international cricket has renewed his purpose to win games for India.
I was losing my hunger to win games for this team: Quinton de Kock
The 32-year-old cricketer from South Africa announced his retirement from ODIs and T20Is after the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup, respectively, but has now reversed it with a return before the next T20 World Cup in 2026.
"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.
He said that previously, as a youngster, he needed to score runs for South Africa out of desperation, but this time it's a different bit of energy. De Kock was getting sick and needed a new challenge to set the hunger back for him.
"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.
De Kock rules out possibility of return to Test cricket
Quinton de Kock strictly said no when he was asked about his return to Test cricket, as well as after his international comeback in the limited-over games. He claimed that the break was to rediscover his love for the game.
"When I left, I was quite exhausted from international cricket. So, my break, I still feel, was much needed. So when I came back now, I've got a lot of energy, I feel I can put back towards the team.
"I've always said to coach, to Shooks (Shukri Conrad), I want to play as long as I can now. I don't think I could have had that mindset if I had carried on playing. I think I would have finished my career earlier. Now I feel I can prolong my career. I feel fitter than ever. Mentally also, I'm not exhausted," said the Protea batter.
De Kock, having immense experience in international cricket, said it was just a matter of getting back as a batsman and doing a bit as he was back in international cricket. For him, the transition felt very simple.
You need to be able to do all three formats at some point in your career: de Kock
Quinton de Kock, the former all-format wicket-keeper for South Africa, has represented the national side across all formats of the game. He represented the country in over 50+ Tests and amassed nearly 5000+ runs in the longest format of the game.
De Kock feels that good cricketers are those who have at least played all three formats at some point in their careers. He also suggested that, even for himself, he considers that playing across formats has helped him to develop in his career.
"When you're a school kid, you want to be the best cricketer, not just a one-format cricketer. Obviously, noticing these days that single-format cricketers are starting to happen more often than not. I still feel that in order to have a prolonged career, you need to be able to do all three formats at some point in your career," de Kock concluded.
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