Third ODI: De Kock equals Jayasuriya’s mark, but will it be enough for SA?

When Quinton de Kock called time on his ODI career after South Africa’s semi-final exit in 2023 ICC World Cup, most felt he still had a lot more to give to this format. The 32-year-old former captain, an enigma in his country’s cricket who bid an adieu to the longer format way back in 2021, showed what the team had been missing with his seventh ODI century against India in the deciding ODI against India.

Now a journeyman and in demand in the T20 franchise leagues around the world, De Kock had a change of heart after a long and hard telephonic conversation with the current coach Shukri Conrad ahead of the tour of the sub-continent.

 ‘’Quinton’s return to the white-ball space is a major boost for us,’’ Conrad said ahead of the twin tour of Pakistan and India – in view of the latter’s domain knowledge of the conditions in these countries.

‘’When we spoke last month about his future, it was clear that he still has a strong ambition to represent his country. Everyone knows the quality he brings to the side, and having him back can only benefit the team,’’ said the thinking coach, whose plan to tap into their best resources for the benefit of South African cricket had been paying rich dividends.

It was the second call on part of Conrad who also convinced Simon Harmer, Player of the Series in the 2-0 Test sweep over India, to come out of the Kolpak agreement to join the national team.

De Kock’s innings of 106 may not be enough as the powerful Indian batting line-up will be chasing for the first time under dew, but it equalled Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of most ODI centuries (seven) against India.

After failing in the first two games, De Kock looked in complete control from the start, putting away anything loose and maintaining a tempo the Indian bowlers struggled to contain. His pull off Harshit Rana for a sixth six captured the essence of his knock, taking him to a hundred off 80 balls.

While De Kock is now level with Jayasuriya on seven ODI hundreds against India, the Lankan dasher took 85 innings to get there compared with de Kock’s 23. The left-hander also matched AB de Villiers’ record of seven ODI hundreds in India, the most by any visiting batter.

His effort in Vizag also lifted him alongside Kumar Sangakkara at the top of the list for most ODI hundreds by a designated wicketkeeper, with both now on 23. It is a rare bracket to occupy with Shai Hope, Adam Gilchrist, Jos Buttler, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni trailing behind.

De Kock’s seven hundreds against India have come at a rate unmatched by any other batter – as sitting behind him in terms of innings taken are Jayasuriya, AB de Villiers, Ricky Ponting and Sangakkara. The numbers reflect the sustained impact de Kock has had against a side regarded as one of the strongest in the white-ball game.

His record in India compares with the most productive away stretches in ODI cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Saeed Anwar in the UAE, de Villiers in India and Rohit Sharma in England have scored as many as seven hundreds in a single away or neutral venue.

Among wicketkeepers, de Kock’s seven hundreds against India stand alone as the most against one opponent. Adam Gilchrist’s six against Sri Lanka and Sangakkara’s six against India are the next best, followed by Sangakkara’s five against Bangladesh and de Kock’s own four against Sri Lanka. His latest innings adds to a body of work that has been central to South Africa’s ODI fortunes over the past decade.

Most ODI hundreds vs India

7 : Quinton de Kock (23 innings)

7 : Sanath Jayasuriya (85 innings)

6 : AB de Villiers (32 innings)

6 : Ricky Ponting (59 innings)

6 : Kumar Sangakkara (71 innings)