In the IPL, the pressure on players, especially overseas ones, is immense. If a player fails in one game and the team loses, calls for their exclusion often follow. One poor outing can quickly turn a player into the subject of widespread criticism. In the opening match of this year’s IPL season between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Quinton de Kock fell cheaply, and KKR suffered defeat in front of their home crowd at Eden Gardens. Ahead of their second game, many fans demanded De Kock be dropped. With options like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Luvnith Sisodia available, KKR could have made the switch, but they backed De Kock.
And how did he respond? On a tricky pitch where most batters struggled to score, De Kock delivered a batting masterclass. He smashed 97 off 61 balls in a 152-run chase, guiding KKR to victory with 2.3 overs to spare against Rajasthan Royals. It was a statement knock that silenced the critics in style. The southpaw brought his experience to the fore and played one of the best innings in a run chase for KKR in IPL history. On a tricky Guwahati pitch where conditions favored the bowlers, Rajasthan Royals had a decent attack featuring Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana. But De Kock rose to the challenge with a well-paced, composed knock that proved to be the difference.
On tricky pitches, the bowling side is always in with a chance. One or two quick wickets can suddenly tilt the game in their favour. RR knew this and tried everything against De Kock, mixing up lengths, changing angles, and varying pace, but nothing seemed to work.
“Only my second game here, just taking it as I see it,” De Kock said at the post-match presentation. “Luckily, we batted second, so I could watch the wicket and see how the ball was behaving. I just played the situation of the game. The IPL is known for big sixes and high scores, but that wasn’t the moment for me. It was just about winning it the way I know how.”
With a new batting partner in Moeen Ali, the onus was firmly on De Kock to anchor the innings. Moeen struggled throughout the Powerplay, making it imperative for De Kock to provide a steady start. After Moeen’s dismissal post-Powerplay, De Kock took it upon himself to hold one end and guide the chase. That’s what experienced players do.
Hitting through the line wasn’t easy on the tricky Guwahati pitch, but De Kock found a way. He was quick to capitalize on any loose deliveries from the RR bowlers. Despite having wickets in hand, he resisted the temptation to go for fancy shots to boost the net run rate, instead prioritizing stability and staying at the crease until the job was done.
“Not the type of wicket for that kind of game if NRR conversation required, the ball was turning and stopping,” De Kock added.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel, all talented batters, got starts, but none could convert them as De Kock did.