“I don’t see myself being like him”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock is still in the infancy period of his Test career, but he is already being compared to the legendary Adam Gilchrist.

Those comparisons were further strengthened after the Johannesburg native scored his second Test century on the third day of the second Test against Australia in Hobart.

Gilchrist is arguably the best wicketkeeper-batsman to ever play in the longest format of the game as he scored 17 centuries and 26 fifties at an average of 47.60 and a strike-rate of 81.95.

While being branded as the next Gilchrist is something many young cricketers would gush about, De Kock has made it clear that he is not a fan of being compared to the Australian great.

“I don’t try to play like him, it’s just the way I play,” the 23-year-old said. “I don’t see myself being like him, I just see the ball, hit the ball type thing, have my own certain game plan. So that’s the way I like to play.”

In the current calendar year, De Kock has tasted a lot of success in Test cricket as he has amassed 540 runs at an average of 80. Having made a strong start thus far, the big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman is determined to maintain his momentum for as long as possible.

“Some days I can get off to a good start and keep a good momentum for the team, and some days I am going to need to grind it out,” he added. The conditions determine how I play, I guess.”