Quinton de Kock matches Sanath Jayasuriya's ODI feat against India
What's the story
South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has equaled Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya's record for the most ODI centuries by an opener against India. De Kock achieved this feat during the final clash of the three-match ODI series in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. The left-handed batsman scored his seventh century against India, matching Jayasuriya's tally but in just 23 innings as opposed to the latter's 85.
Record equalized
De Kock's century comes off 80 balls
De Kock's century came off just 80 balls. His aggressive batting style was a treat to watch as he dominated the Indian bowlers from the start. De Kock eventually departed for 106 runs from 89 balls. His stellar knock was laced with eight fours and six maximums. The innings helped South Africa breach the 200-run mark at a run rate of over six.
Stats
His numbers versus India
Having played 23 ODIs against India, de Kock has returned with 1,191 runs at an average of 51.78. Seven of the southpaw's nine 50-plus scores against India have been converted into tons. Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (2,632) and Australia's Adam Gilchrist (1,622) are the only designated wicket-keepers with more ODI runs against India than de Kock. As mentioned above, Jayasuriya is the only other batter with seven ODI tons against the Men in Blue.
Away performance
De Kock's record in India
De Kock's record in India is as good as the best overseas streaks in ODI cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar in UAE, Saeed Anwar in UAE, de Villiers in India, and Rohit Sharma in England have scored seven tons at a single away or neutral venue. Among wicketkeepers, de Kock's seven tons against India are the most against any one opponent. Adam Gilchrist (six against Sri Lanka) and Sangakkara (six against India) follow him on this list.
Wicketkeeper milestone
De Kock's century equals Sangakkara's record
De Kock's century also took him level with Kumar Sangakkara for the most ODI centuries by a wicketkeeper-batsman. Both now have 23 tons in this format. No other keeper boasts even 20 hundreds. With this hundred, de Kock has raced to 7,123 runs at an average of 46.55. In addition to 23 tons, he has hit 32 fifties.
Feats
Here are de Kock's other feats versus India
Among batters with at least 1,000 ODI runs against India, de Kock's average of 51.78 is the eighth-best. De Kock and Pakistan's Zaheer Abbas happen to be the only batters to hammer three successive ODI tons against India in a bilateral series. 625 of the former's runs against India have come at home at 78.12. He averages 41.33 against India in India, having scored 496 runs. The remaining 70 runs have come in neutral games at 23.33.