Dean Elgar wants Proteas to professionally manage Quinton de Kock’s Test Retirement

South African skipper Dean Elgar says he was initially “surprised” by Quinton de Kock’s sudden retirement from Test cricket, but stressed that the team will take a step back and try to level the playing field against India.

De Kock, just 29 years old, announced his retirement from the traditional format at the end of the initial test against India, which the host lost to 113 races at SuperSport Park on Thursday.

“I was quite surprised. But sitting down with Quiney (Quinton de Kock), he explained his reasons and I respect and fully understand his decision,” Elgar said in a virtual press conference on the eve of the second Test.

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“I don’t think there will be any,” Elgar replied when asked if there was a hangover from the players about his retirement.

“Our responsibility is to lead and play as an international player. We still have to be professional about this. We still have a Test series to match, so I don’t think there will be a hangover or shock due to Quiney’s retirement.

“The players are respectful of the environment. We realize that we’ve had some setbacks in the last few games and of course we need to be clear and we need to overcome that. I don’t see this causing players to be surprised by his retirement.”