Published: Sep 10, 2015, 05:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 15, 2015, 12:12 PM (IST)
Despite finding a place in the One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) South African squads following a horrendous run, Quinton de Kock missed out on Test selection for the tour of India to fellow wicketkeeper, Dane Vilas. Sudatta Mukherjee feels de Kock may have to wait to make comeback in the Test side, with the South African selectors looking to give a longer run to one-Test old Vilas.
The day was not far away for Quinton de Kock. After having impressed all and sundry in the limited-overs series against Pakistan and India in 2013, de Kock barged into the Test side for the Test series against Australia. He did not do much on his debut, but the selectors decided to persist with the youngster, and de Kock did return the favour by hitting 51 in his second Test against Sri Lanka, and with a fluent 81 against Zimbabwe. However, de Kock went through a slump which began after the Centurion Test against West Indies in December 2014. His batting suffered in ODIs and even T20Is, as apart from the knocks of 44 and unbeaten 78 against United Arab Emirates (UAE) in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, de Kock, had hardly done anything to justify his position in the squad. Quinton de Kock’s poor form is hurting South Africa
De Kock was persisted with in Bangladesh; but he ran into an on-field altercation with the hosts’ star opener Tamim Iqbal and ended up losing 75 per cent of his match fees. There was more trouble in store for de Kock: he fell for a duck in Chittagong in the rain-marred Test, and that turned out to be the tipping point. Dane Vilas was handed debut in the second and final Test, and he will be South Africa’s preferred wicketkeeper on tour of India. South Africa squad for India ODIs: Proteas balance experience and youth in potent squad
De Kock must consider himself lucky for finding his name in the squads for limited-overs leg in India; he was not there in the home series against New Zealand. Morne van Wyk had replaced him in the ODI and T20I squads. He was out of form, and the magic was waning rapidly. He was rather sent to India with the ‘A’ team, talking about which, Linda Zondi, the national selection convener, said, “Quinton de Kock remains an outstanding talent but we feel that the South Africa A tour of India presents the best opportunity at this stage of his career for him to rediscover his form.” South Africa squad for India T20Is: Proteas start World T20 preparation on aggressive note
De Kock did rediscover himself during the same tour of Bangladesh. He went on to score 108 and 113 in the List A matches. In the first unofficial Test against India, de Kock scored 113. He could not follow up his earlier performances in the second unofficial Test against India A. South Africa announce ODI, T20I squads for India series 2015
After having performed well in India, one would have expected de Kock to find his place back in the Test squad too, especially given the fact that he enjoys a special liking for Indian bowlers. However, all these did not seem to change the minds of the selectors. Imran Tahir, Dane Piedt included in South Africa’s Test squad for tour of India 2015
Vilas has played 74 First-Class matches till now and has a batting average of 40.78. He has taken 208 catches and completed 11 stumpings. Compared to his 74 matches, de Kock has played 30 First-Class matches till now. He has an average of 45.36, with 106 catches and 7 stumpings under his name. On paper, de Kock’s numbers look better than Vilas’. However, de Kock’s recent performances show that he warranted a selection, and that South Africa’s preference of Vilas over him is nothing but a long shot. India vs South Africa 2015: South Africa announce squads for Tests, ODIs and T20Is
It is true that the only chance Vilas got was affected by rain i.e., the second Test against Bangladesh. However, with four-Test slated against India, there is a strong chance of burn out. Vilas is just one-Test old and he would find going tough against the rank turners that India produce. Under such circumstances, it would have been wise had South Africa selected an experienced option in de Kock. And then, fitness is another factor. If Vilas crumbles, the responsibility of keeping wickets will come to AB de Villiers, who has not kept wickets for long.
For now, de Kock needs to concentrate on making himself a permanent fixture in the limited-overs squad. However, doing that, it should not take him a long time to find himself back in the Test side.
(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English television show on her laptop. Her Twitter handle is @blackrosegal)
