Ashwell Prince: Quinton de Kock Adds ‘Ro-Ko Effect’ to Proteas Dressing Room

South Africa will enter the ODI series against India with a renewed sense of purpose, driven largely by the form and influence of Quinton de Kock.

Batting coach Ashwell Prince believes de Kock brings to the Proteas a level of assurance comparable to what Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli provide India—an endorsement that underscores South Africa’s growing confidence ahead of the first ODI in Ranchi on November 30.

Addressing the media on the eve of the match, Prince highlighted how de Kock’s presence lifts the dressing room, especially with several young batters in the squad. “He’s massive for us,” Prince said. “Just like Rohit and Virat strengthen India, Quinny gives us that same level of confidence. His experience and the quality he showed in Pakistan have been invaluable. Our young left-handers learn a lot from sharing the crease and conversations with him.”

De Kock arrives for the India series in exceptional touch, having amassed 239 runs in three ODIs against Pakistan, including an unbeaten 123 and fluent scores of 53 and 63. His consistency at the top offers stability to a batting unit already performing strongly.

With Matthew Bretzke, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Dewald Brevis, and Ryan Rickelton all contributing runs, South Africa’s lineup is expected to test an inexperienced Indian pace attack featuring Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshdeep Singh.

India, meanwhile, are under scrutiny following their Test series defeat, making the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli even more crucial. Their battle of influence with de Kock sets up an intriguing narrative for what promises to be a gripping ODI series opener in Ranchi.