AB de Villiers was in line to play the T20 World Cup: Quinton de Kock

South Africa's limited-overs captain Quinton de Kock has mentioned that AB de Villiers was very much in contention to make the South African squad for the now postponed T20 World Cup. He also shared his views on why he was not keen to take over the South African Test captaincy.

Quinton de Kock talked about the burdens of being an international captain, apart from his eagerness to be a part of the IPL, in the latest edition of the Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected'.

On being asked what his thought process was while saying no to Test captaincy, Quinton de Kock responded that he did not want to burden himself with too many responsibilities.

"I think it is to much work to be honest. I have to be the wicketkeeper, go up in the batting order. Captaining all three formats in general takes its toll."

The wicket-keeper-batsman added that he was content with leading the Proteas in the limited-overs formats.

"I don't think I am the guy who can lead all three teams. I think I am pretty happy with T20s and ODIs."

🇿🇦 Director of Cricket Graeme Smith wants Quinton de Kock to stay fresh and unburdened of Test captaincy. pic.twitter.com/B3pqBPGcqs

— ICC (@ICC) April 18, 2020

Quinton de Kock was further asked if he would have liked to have AB de Villiers in the South African side if the T20 World Cup had happened this year. He responded by saying that the charismatic batsman was definitely in contention for a spot in the lineup.

"He was definitely in line. If fit, I would have loved to have AB de Villiers. I think any team would have loved to have AB de Villiers in their team."

He was quick to add that with the T20 World postponed now, it is difficult to predict what lies ahead in the future.

"While we were pushing for him, now we will have to see when the T20 World Cup is going to happen now."

“I would just like to get out there and play cricket. There are lots of talks, but in the meantime, I will stay fit in the gym and hit cricket balls," says @ABdeVilliers17. By @ZaahierAdams https://t.co/B6QpxrUl2C

— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) July 19, 2020

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Quinton de Kock on his eagerness to play in the IPL

Quinton de Kock is an integral part of the Mumbai Indians lineup

Quinton de Kock was also asked how important it is to players for the IPL to happen this year, with there being a 14-day quarantine period before the tournament is played.

The Mumbai Indians' opening batsman responded that he was extremely eager to be a part of the league and was ready to fly down immediately.

"I will be there tomorrow then, no problem. If they tell me this afternoon that I must fly tonight, I will just go and pack my bags."

Quinton de Kock was the highest run-scorer for the Mumbai Indians in the 2019 edition of the IPL. The swashbuckling opener amassed 529 runs last year at an average of 35.26 along with a strike rate of 132.91.