After rain played spoilsport in the series opener at Dharamsala, South Africa are all set to begin their highly-anticipated India tour with the Mohali T20I on Wednesday (September 18).
On the eve of the match, Proteas wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who will be leading the T20 side in the absence of Faf du Plessis, addressed the media and said that the added responsibility of captaincy is a new stepping stone in his career.
“I am not too concerned. It is a new stepping stone in my career. It gives me extra responsibility in the team. We will see how it goes, it can affect me positively or negatively, but it is too early to say. I will try to do my best,” De Kock told reporters.
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He also commented on the rain abandoned tie, saying it was not ideal as every game is crucial heading into next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
“Obviously it is a bit of negative. We would have liked to play at Dharamshala. We would like to play as many matches heading into the 20-20 World Cup next year so losing out on one game is not ideal. But it is what it is. It is now a two-match series. It would be an exciting format so we will see how things go,” he remarked.
India skipper Virat Kohli and South Africa’s ace pacer Kagiso Rabada have engaged in many exhilarating on-field battles in the last few years. Just like the fans, De Kock is also looking forward to another fierce encounter between the two players in this series.
“They are both good players. It is a good competition between both Virat Kohli and Kagiso Rabada. They both are aggressive in their style of play. It would be great for fans to see the battle between them both,” he said.
Following T20I series, South Africa will take on India in a three-match Test series, which will be part of the inaugural World Test Championship. But for now, the visitors are focusing on the job at hands.
“When you talk about World Test Championship (WTC), we haven’t quite got there yet. We are focusing on T20Is, once those games are done, then we will think about the WTC,” De Kock stated.
(With ANI inputs)
