De Kock bats for clarity against India

Ahmedabad: South Africa will walk into their Super 8 clash against India with a deliberate lightness of baggage. The clearest signal of that came from Quinton de Kock, who revealed that the painful 2024 final defeat was never collectively dissected.

“After that day, we just forgot about it… we never really spoke about it,” he said, underlining a conscious shift away from the Proteas’ history of knockout anxieties. Instead, the focus is on clarity, consistency and a settled dressing room. De Kock himself embodies that reset. After a break from international cricket, he returns “refreshed” and “happy to be back with my boys,” describing a group that has found rhythm in Ahmedabad after three group matches at the venue. Familiarity helps, he admitted, but he was quick to add that India’s deep experience of these conditions negates any real home advantage.

At the heart of South Africa’s stability is captain Aiden Markram, whose move to the top of the order has brought what De Kock calls “clarity in his role.”