Quinton de Kock has made it clear that he is happy to play only white-ball cricket for South Africa. The wicketkeeper-batsman said he has no plans to return to Test cricket and termed it a straight no.
He quit the format after the India series in 2021. He said he had lost the hunger to compete and stepping away reset him mentally.
Since his return to ODIs against Pakistan, De Kock has been in top form. He scored 353 runs in six matches with an average of over 72. This includes two hundreds and two fifties.
In T20Is, he has added 121 runs in six matches. His 90 against India in New Chandigarh was a decisive blow in South Africa’s victory.
He said the break was necessary because facing the same teams over and over exhausted him. He said India’s frequent home and away games made it harder to find new targets.
He said: “I lost the hunger to win matches before I retired. There is a renewed energy now and I want to win every match for my country. Before, it was not easy to wake up for the matches.”
He also said he realized how much he missed the sport after his return. “I can play for a long time,” he added.
De Kock played 54 Tests for South Africa and scored 3300 runs. He said those days are behind him now and he is only focusing on ODIs and T20Is.
He ended any hopes of a return by saying: “It’s a straight no when it comes to playing Test cricket.”
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