HOBART: South African Quinton de Kock played down comparisons with destructive wicket-keeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist as he continued to flay Australia’s bowlers on Monday.

The 23-year-old wicket-keeper blazed his second Test century to help give the Proteas a potential match-winning 241-run innings lead over the Australians in the second Test at the Bellerive Oval.

The swashbuckling de Kock has been likened Australian gloveman Gilchrist, who revolutionised the wicketkeeper-batsman role with 17 Test centuries, often turning matches with his prodigious hitting.

But de Kock played down the comparison after pounding 104 off 143 balls, including 17 boundaries.

“I don’t try to play like him, it’s just the way I play,” de Kock told reporters. “I don’t see myself being like him, I just see the ball, hit the ball type thing, have my own certain game plan. So that’s the way I like to play.”

De Kock’s stand of 144 with schoolboy friend Temba Bavuma was the highest by a visiting team in Hobart for the sixth wicket.

De Kock has now scored 540 runs in the current calendar year for an average of 80, which is the best in the year so far.

“Some days I can get off to a good start and keep a good momentum for the team, and some days I am going to need to grind it out,” de Kock said. “The conditions determine how I play, I guess.”

De Kock became only the fourth South African to score 50 or more in five consecutive Tests. He is averaging 84 in the current series batting at No.7 following scores of 84 and 64 in the crushing first Test victory in Perth.

Published in Dawn November 15th, 2016