"It wasn't a decision that I just woke up and had": Quinton de Kock opens up about his decision to reverse retirement

Quinton de Kock showed a breathtaking display of power-hitting to lead South Africa to a commanding 51-run victory over India in the second T20I on Thursday, leveling the five-match series at 1–1. The left-handed opener, who recently returned to South Africa's white-ball squads, hammered a dazzling 90 off just 46 balls, featuring five boundaries and seven sixes. Following his gritty knock, Quinton de Kock spoke about his decision to come out of international retirement. After the World Cup in 2023, de Kock had retired from ODIs, and he did not feature in T20Is until recently.

"It wasn't a decision that I just woke up and had. I think over time, the more break I had, the more I felt more ready to come back. I'd already played in international cricket for more than a decade," de Kock said at the press conference.

"When I left, I was quite exhausted from international cricket. So my break, I still feel, was much needed. So when I came back now, I've got a lot of energy I feel I can put back towards the team."

"I've always said to Coach, to Shooks (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. I think I would have finished my career earlier. Now I feel I can prolong my career. I feel fitter than ever. Mentally also, I'm not exhausted. Happy to be back," he said.

Quinton de Kock stressed that his time away brought back his hunger.

"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."

"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. Be part of a team where I feel now that there's a renewed energy where I'm not just playing, I'm playing to win every game with a renewed energy. Where before, it would be hard to wake up and go play for the team again, especially when you play a series over and over where you've played India multiple times, home and away," de Kock noted.