Quinton de Kock is finally acing the IPL's trial by spin

Over the years, countless overseas batters have arrived in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with burgeoning reputations. Some have set their respective domestic circuit alight. Some have announced themselves on the international stage. They’ve also fetched a hefty sum of money at IPL auctions. Yet, on quite a few occasions, they’ve flattered to deceive.

So much so that batting in the IPL, especially on sluggish surfaces against spin is viewed as the final frontier for any T20 batter. Till a while ago, it was perceived that a batter’s ability to handle pace was the distinguishing factor. With the emergence of the IPL, though, and with Indian cricketers growing up on a staple diet of fast-bowling, the scales have titled considerably.

Thus, it is even more surprising that such an illustrious list of cricketers have failed to impose themselves on the IPL, owing to their troubles against spin. Aaron Finch – one of Australia’s greatest-ever T20 batters, has shunted between teams and struggled at each one of those. Martin Guptill, too, hasn’t really lived up to his billing in the cash-rich league. The same could be said about Eoin Morgan and Steve Smith. This list is not exhaustive, but you kind of get the gist, right?

This list, by the way, also seemed to include Quinton de Kock. Unlike the others, the South African has never had a problem stamping his authority in the IPL. But his slightly lacklustre record against spin has deterred several franchises from entrusting him with the sort of responsibility his talent deserves.

He has been excellent at the top of the order, make no mistake about it. In the powerplay, he has struck at 130.73 and averages a tick under 39 (38.69). Against pace, de Kock has been severe, striking at 143.87 and averaging 37.58. However, with him huffing and puffing against spin, teams have tended to tie him down.

Throughout his IPL career, he has struck at 116.37 and only averages 27.31, having been dismissed by that type of bowling 32 times out of 67. In his career too, de Kock has fallen to spin on 85 occasions (out of the 100 innings he has played), averaging only 29.96 and striking at 127.92. So, there is a clear weakness – a weakness sufficient to curb his run-scoring and dwindle his effectiveness as a batter.

You can find the full IPL match list here.

Quinton de Kock's batting against spin has improved in IPL 2022

This season, though, something has changed. Not only does de Kock seem to have better plans to tackle spinners, he has shown greater patience, picking and choosing the right ball to attack. In IPL 2022, the left-handed batter is striking at 149.57 and is averaging 35 against spin. He has still been dismissed by spinners five times but he has usually inflicted damage before departing.

That has also been down to better strike rotation in IPL 2022. During this campaign, he has had a dot-ball percentage of 24.7 against spinners. Throughout his career, that number goes up to around 36, indicating how drastic a tweak this has been.

This has, apart from keeping the bowlers on their toes, allowed de Kock to showcase his full repertoire of strokes. Against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the South African unfurled the reverse sweep, the slog sweep and the lofted extra cover drive – each executed with absolute conviction. The increased clarity has also allowed him to target bowlers expertly.

On Wednesday, de Kock hit only one boundary against spin in the opening 10 overs. The Lucknow Super Giants lost no wickets in that phase either, meaning that when Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy returned, they had to go searching for wickets. And de Kock, who had been waiting for that opportunity, pounced.

Hence, there seems to have been a conscious effort on the South African’s part to improve his batting against spin. It might seem a little paradoxical, considering he has been around for nearly a decade and has long been labelled one of the most belligerent T20 openers on the planet.

All those labels, though, almost always came with an asterisk. de Kock was superb against pace in the powerplay but if you bowled good-quality spin at him, he would get stuck at the crease. In many ways, that prompted many to not consider him in the same league as someone like David Warner, despite the South Africa having as expansive an array of strokes as the Australian.

Now, that notion might just have changed. It has been long overdue too. For a batter of de Kock’s class, who will only play limited-overs cricket henceforth, it seemed a travesty that he was his impactful best against a particular type of bowler and during a particular phase. He is so talented that he should stride out for every game, puff out his chest and brazenly proclaim that he intends to dominate. He is that good.

KKR experienced that first-hand on Wednesday, and numbers indicate that de Kock might be onto something too from a slightly more long-term perspective. His acing of the IPL’s trial by spin might have come a little late. But then again, it is better than never materializing at all.

Had that happened, it would’ve been heart-breaking. We are nowhere close to that conversation this season, though. Not when de Kock is batting the way he is against spin.