"You do not expect anyone of his calibre to retire at that age" - South Africa head coach Mark Boucher on Quinton de Kock drawing curtains on Test career

South Africa head coach Mark Boucher recently revealed that he was taken aback by star wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock's sudden retirement from Tests.

He believes a talented player like de Kock is expected to have a long Test career.In a conversation with South African newspaper Rapport, Boucher stated that he fully respects de Kock's decision to hang up his boots from the longer format. Amid the ongoing Test series against India, he feels the Proteas should focus on de Kock's replacement.

Here's what Mark Boucher said:

"You do not expect anyone of his calibre to retire at that age. They usually play until the age of 35 or 36."

“It came as a shock. But we fully respect his reasons. It’s sad, but we’ll have to keep going. We’re in the middle of a series and we cannot wonder about it for too long. We need to focus on the guys who come in his place and hopefully they can do something similar to what Quinny offered us," added Boucher.

The 29-year-old announced his retirement from Test cricket on Thursday, following his team's defeat against India in the Test series opener at Centurion. The left-hander in his statement mentioned that he took the call in order to be able to spend more time with his family.

De Kock featured in 54 Test matches in his career in which he mustered 4652 runs. The stylish batter slammed 22 fifties and 6 centuries in those appearances. Moreover, he has 232 dismissals to his name in red-ball cricket, which is the second-most for a South African player.

"We have been working closely with Kyle Verreynne lately" - Mark Boucher

Boucher has backed Kyle Verreynne to replace Quinton de Kock in the Test team. He pointed out how the 24-year-old has been on the fringes of the national team for a while now. The head coach confirmed that the team management has been working closely with the talented youngster in recent times.

He expects the transition to be a smooth one as Verreynne has toured with the Proteas team in the past as well. Here's what Boucher said regarding de Kock's replacement:

“I kind of feel sorry for Kyle, because he has been on a few cricket tours and he has been sitting on the sidelines for a while. He waited his turn and honed his game. We have been working closely with him lately."

“It’s not that he is new to the system. He’s been around the guys for a while. So he will quietly have confidence in his game and he will be able to move in seamlessly," said Boucher.

South Africa and India are slated to lock horns in the 2nd Test match of their 3-match series at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The highly-anticipated contest will begin on January 3.