De Kock hits ton to make return count

A gifted player, Quinton de Kock has been the sort of batter who has always left fans wondering what if he could realise his full potential.

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

His talent was never in question, but his focus and desire though didn’t always align with that.In between, the South Africa opening batter does show glimpses of what he can achieve when his total attention is on the job on hand, keeping all the outside noise at bay.

On Saturday, at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam, playing the ODI series decider against India, De Kock came out to bat in the right frame of mind, determined to make amends after 0 and 8 in the first two games.

The rhythm and aggression was back as he produced a batting masterclass in a 50-over game with his 89-ball 106, his 23rd ODI ton and seventh against India. For South Africa, only Hashim Amla (27) and AB de Villiers are ahead of him.

What makes the left-hand batter standout is his ability to clear the ropes. It was on display at Vizag as he hammered six sixes.