Talk of the town. . . The talented Quinton de Kock is not part of the SA Test team against India and yet he is the talking point.
The whispers and groans about Quinton de Kock continued at the Wanderers where the first Test between South Africa and India began without glitches earlier today. The Proteas took two early wickets as the visitors bagged 70 runs at lunch.
As was the case in the run-up to the match, the absence of the young run machine De Kock continued to rub South Africa's cricket fans in different ways. While there are those confessing understanding for the reasons De Kock was excluded from the Test team after a memorable showing in the ODI series against selfsame, others feel they were shortchanged.
The talk about De Kock being young and inexperienced at this level of the game is not far-fetched. Though I don't have a fiery quarrel against this sentiment, I do not, at the same time, support it. The paying fans at the stadium, more so this time of the year, want to be thrilled. They want to be excited, and De Kock is right now the object of the stadium fun for the fans.
Yes, he's inexperienced but where was this when he blasted away India with three fine 100s in three one-day matches? Does this batsman sound like someone who needs protection? What harm would playing in two Test matches in familiar surroundings do this novice?
Too many questions and arguments, but the bottomline is that the risk factor to play De Kock in the two Tests against India was minimal. If it was high risk, as the selectors thought, then the dividends could have paid back far better from the youngster's exploits. The fans were indeed shortchanged because the excitement they want in the stadium is provided by such bravehearts, more so a young and unblemished one such as Quinton, who turned 21 only yesterday.
One of his few detractors around is India bowler Ishant Sharma, who was quoted saying: "Quinton de Kock has been quite lucky." If that's the case then this is the man any team would be happy to have, more so that he offers a lot more in one: wicketkeeping and excellent fielding. Clearly there can never be any wrong with a dose of luck in any game.
Senior SA players such as captain Graeme Smith, Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers remain reliable match winners with the bat. But you can't falter the people for wanting a new hero. De Kock's time will surely come but at this stage his omission is a lost opportunity. Borrowing from Sharma's observation, De Kock could be the new luck the Proteas need.
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