Veteran South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has received huge praise from former Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who is the current T20 World Cup 2026 brand ambassador, ahead of the semi-final clash against New Zealand in Kolkata on March 4.
Rohit Sharma praises Quinton de Kock ahead of South Africa vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final
Quinton de Kock has been the main man behind South Africa’s unbeaten innings in the T20 World Cup 2026. His return to the international arena has worked well for the Proteas team. De Kock has opened the batting and played the role of a steady anchor in the ongoing tournament. The experienced opening batsman has scored around 171 runs in 7 innings so far.
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Well, fans always keep talking about Rohit Sharma’s deadly pull shot. Hitman’s timing and strength make the pull shot look easy and many believe that no other player can play it better.
Rohit Sharma picks Quinton de Kock for world’s best pull shot
Interestingly, Rohit himself had said that he is not one of the best pull shot players in the world. India’s current ODI captain believes that De Kock is the best player of this dangerous stroke. Rohit has shared the dressing room with the South African star and has seen his skills against fast bowlers from close quarters.
De Kock is known for attacking the short ball without any fear. He immediately picks the length and sends the ball swiftly across the boundary. His balance, fast hands and fearless mentality make his pull shot special.
“I think Quentin de Kock. He is that guy because I have played with him. I know he is a good player of the short ball,” Rohit Sharma said on ICC.
Notably, Rohit and De Kock opened the innings for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They formed a strong opening pair for three seasons. They will reunite for the upcoming IPL 2026 after the South African star was re-signed by Mumbai Indians for ₹1 crore in the auction.
Quinton de Kock shines in T20 World Cup 2026
Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock has been in sensational form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. The left-handed batsman is not only scoring runs, but he is also breaking big records one after the other.
During the Group D match against New Zealand, De Kock broke MS Dhoni’s record of most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in T20 World Cup history. Dhoni scored 32 runs, but De Kock went ahead with 33 dismissals. Of these, 26 are catches and 7 are stumpings.
He is now the wicketkeeper with the most dismissals in T20 World Cup history. During the same game, he also reached another big milestone. De Kock has become the highest run-scorer for South Africa in T20 World Cup history, surpassing AB de Villiers.
He has now scored more than 737 runs in the tournament. Additionally, De Kock became the first South African cricketer to complete 3,000 runs in T20 International cricket.
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