Time away has brought back my hunger: Quinton de Kock

When Quinton de Kock returned to South Africa's white-ball squads last month, head coach Shukri Conrad welcomed it whole-heartedly, calling him "an enigma." The keeper-batter had retired from ODIs after the 2023 World Cup and hadn't played a T20I since the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup until the Pakistan series.

After five quiet outings, including a duck in the T20I opener in Cuttack, de Kock rekindled his menacing form in Mullanpur with a 57-ball 90, setting up South Africa's massive victory. After the match, he spoke about rediscovering his hunger to play for South Africa.

"I think prior to my retirement, I was losing my hunger to win games for this team, specifically for the Proteas. And that time away just brought back my hunger," de Kock said.

"I was telling the guys that I don't think I've ever felt this way. Whereas before, when you're young, you're trying to just play to score runs and impress. Now, I feel there's a renewed energy where I'm not just playing, I'm playing to win every game. Before, it would be hard to wake up and go play for the team again, especially when you play a series over and over.

"I think over time I was getting sick of it because I was looking for a new challenge and I wasn't getting it. Now coming back, I feel like this is actually what I missed. As everyone knows, you never know what you have until you've lost it. So that's kind of now coming back, where that renewed energy makes me feel I can play much longer than what I thought previously," he added.

Until Thursday's knock, de Kock had struggled in his T20I comeback. He admitted he was annoyed with how 'sloppy' he was in the opening fixture and aimed to get into better positions in the second game, particularly against India's fast-bowling spearheads.

"Not much changed. I was just trying to get myself into a better position. I think initially I was quite irritated, disappointed with myself. The previous game, the way I got out was very sloppy. I knew if I stood a chance to score runs, I needed to look after that in the first couple of balls, especially to a guy like Arshdeep and Bumrah. You have to be strong in your positions or otherwise they are going to find you out. You can't be loose."

De Kock revealed that his return wasn't an overnight decision, and the break was much-needed.

"I think it was just time away from the international stage. It wasn't a decision that I just woke up and had," de Kock said. "I think over time, the longer break I had, the more I felt ready to come back. I had already played international cricket for more than a decade. I think when I left, I was quite exhausted from international cricket.

"So my break, I still feel, was much needed. Now when I came back, I've got a lot of energy that I can put back towards the team. And I've always said it to coach Shukri Conrad, I want to play as long as I can now. I don't think I could have had that mindset if I carried on playing without the break.

"I think I actually would have finished my career earlier. Now with my break, I feel I can prolong my career. I feel fitter than ever. And mentally also, I'm not exhausted. So I feel like I'm happy to be back and I can give more back to the team," he added.

De Kock finding rhythm and runs is a boost for the 2024 T20 World Cup finalists as they aim to go one step further in the next edition in February-March 2026.