We are over halfway into the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup, and 17 hundreds have been made in the first 23 matches, three of which have come from South Africa’s Quinton de Kock’s bat.
The keeper-batter has stated that he would retire from one-day internationals after this World Cup, and he’s singing himself quite a swansong, with three tons in five games, pushing South Africa to victory twice.
After scoring 174 against Bangladesh, fans of cricket are left pondering if this incredibly talented player may consider reversing his retirement from One Day International (ODI) matches, especially if there’s a World Cup victory in sight. Quinton De Kock currently holds the highest number of runs in the World Cup, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma trailing behind at second and third place respectively.
Let’s talk about Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, who has made a strong impression in the World Cup. He holds several esteemed records in One Day Internationals (ODIs). However, given Quinton de Kock’s current form, it seems likely that he may have a chance to surpass some of those records.
Let’s have a look at three records set by Rohit Sharma that Quinton de Kock might break in 2017 World Cup.
3. Highest Individual ODI score – 264*
Since November 2014, Rohit Sharma’s incredible innings of 264 against Sri Lanka has remained unparalleled. For almost nine years, it has stood as the highest individual score in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Despite numerous attempts by others to surpass this feat, none have come close to achieving such a remarkable milestone.
But if there’s one player in world cricket who is both capable and deserving of playing such an innings, it is Quinton de Kock. The left-handed batsman possesses a wide range of shots and adopts an aggressive playing style. Even if he starts off slowly, he has the ability to quickly accelerate his scoring rate, making field restrictions irrelevant for a talented batter like him.
To be sure, getting 264 runs in 50 overs is difficult even for a player of his talent, and it will be a difficult task. However, considering the batter-friendly wickets we’ve experienced thus far and his developing confidence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if he breaks this long-standing ODI record.
2. Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking 33 fours in an ODI innings
There’s no mistake about it Quinton de Kock is a true boundary-hitter.
Rohit Sharma’s legendary 264 saw him hit the most fours in an ODI innings (33). Sachin Tendulkar comes in second with 25 fours in his double-hundred.
QDK’s best in this category is 21 fours in his 168* against Bangladesh in 2017. However, he has the capacity to surpass the levels attained by Rohit Sharma and break this record.
With temperatures approaching uncomfortable in certain Indian settings, even the fittest batsmen prefer to score boundaries rather than drag it out by sprinting between the wickets.
De Kock could easily hit more than 33 boundaries on a decent batting pitch with a quick outfield, especially if South Africa bats first.
1. Rohit Sharma’s record of 5 centuries in a single World Cup edition
Rohit Sharma made five hundreds at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, breaking Kumar Sangakkara’s 2015 World Cup record.
Five games into the 2023 World Cup, Quinton de Kock has three centuries to his name. With South Africa certain to play four to five more matches, he has little reason not to score three more tons in current form.
While surpassing the first two records will undoubtedly be difficult, there is a decent chance De Kock will score more than five hundreds at this World Cup.
Once placed in the crease, he appeared difficult to dismiss, and his focus and commitment were unrivaled.
Quinton De Kock may possibly hold this record at the end of the competition.
