"Quinton will have a point to prove" - Temba Bavuma ahead of the ODI series against India
South Africa's limited-overs skipper Temba Bavuma is pleased with the return of star wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock for the upcoming three-match ODI series against India. He feels the talented gloveman will have a point to prove in the white-ball fixtures after having retired from the longer format.
Speaking to reporters at a virtual press conference, Bavuma stated that the Proteas side are thrilled to have the 29-year-old back with the national side. Here's what he said:
"It is good to see him again. We obviously missed him in the Test team but he has made his decision to retire from the longest format. We respect his decision. Having him back has been good. Quinton will have a point to prove and I am sure he is also as excited as we are to see him in the team."
BREAKING 
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🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Quinton de Kock has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect as he wants to spend more time with his growing family 🇿🇦🏏
#SouthAfrica #SAvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/oFdS4EYGuM
Quinton de Kock shocked many fans when he announced his retirement from Test cricket in December last year. He had revealed that he decided to step away from red-ball cricket to be able to spend more time with his growing family.
"It was a no-brainer to get him into the white-ball squad" - Temba Bavuma on Marco Jansen
Bavuma also lauded South Africa's 21-year-old pacer Marco Jansen for his impressive performances in the recently-concluded Test series against India. He mentioned that the left-armer emerged as an automatic selection in the ODI squad because of the same. He said:
"The world has seen what cricketing abilities he has and his X-factor ability. It was a no-brainer to get him into the white-ball squad."
Jansen made a significant impact with his exploits with the ball in the red-ball games. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series by scalping 19 wickets.
While South Africa pocketed the three-match Test series against India, Bavuma expects their ODI clash to be a challenging one. Bavuma said:
"We're not expecting this one-day series to be easy. We know it's going to be tough, especially considering the Test series. We will prepare as well as we can to make sure we are ready for when the challenge comes our way."
Getting ready for the shorter format of the game💪
Who are you most looking forward to playing at Eurolux Boland Park?
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The first ODI between India and South Africa is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, January 19. Boland Park will host the highly-anticipated fixture between the two cricketing nations.