Rahul Dravid has a deep appreciation for excellence, regardless of its source. He readily acknowledges the talent of opposing players without hesitation. Following Quinton de Kock's decisive six off Jofra Archer, which secured an eight-wicket victory for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025, Dravid, the head coach of RR, was quick to commend the achievement. The dynamic South African wicketkeeper-batter, who retired from ODIs and Tests at the age of 31, delivered an impressive performance, scoring an unbeaten 97 runs off 61 balls, including six sixes and eight fours, leading KKR to victory in Guwahati on Wednesday.

As the match concluded in favor of KKR, Dravid, using crutches and wearing a broad smile, made his way onto the field. He intercepted de Kock just before the latter reached the boundary, extending his hand for a handshake. Dravid was also seen giving him a pat on the back before engaging in a brief exchange.

Earlier, Dravid was spotted on wheelchair before the start of the match. The legendary India cricketer fractured his leg in the lead-up to the IPL but has ensured RR's preparations were not hampered.

A fresh chapter has commenced for both Dravid and de Kock in IPL 2025. The former coach of India took on the role of head coach for RR after guiding India to victory in the T20 World Cup last year, while de Kock was acquired by KKR for the first time during the mega auctions.

Dravid was not the sole representative from the RR camp to commend de Kock for his impressive performance. RR batsman Shimron Hetmyer also embraced de Kock warmly as soon as he concluded the match for KKR.

De Kock after KKR spinners restrict RR

De Kock, who has stepped away from Test and one-day international cricket for South Africa, with his T20 international future still in question, demonstrated no signs of inactivity.

"To be honest, I haven't encountered any challenges so far," De Kock remarked.

"Having taken a three-month break was refreshing. I had about a 10-day preparation period leading up to this season. This is only my second match here, and I'm just taking it as it comes."

Kolkata acquired De Kock during the mega auction for ₹3.60 crore after he was released by the Lucknow Super Giants.

He provided his team with a strong start, hitting two boundaries before losing his opening partner Moeen, who was run out for five runs.

Captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed after a quick 18 runs, but De Kock remained steady, partnering with impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who contributed 22 runs, to guide the team to victory with an unbroken partnership of 83 runs.

De Kock concluded the match with a six off Jofra Archer, helping Kolkata recover from their initial defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rajasthan faced their second consecutive loss.

Earlier, Kolkata's fast bowler Vaibhav Arora bowled out Sanju Samson for 13 runs, while Chakravarthy and Moeen each claimed two wickets shortly thereafter.

Samson, who is the regular captain of Rajasthan, has been limited to playing solely as a batter in the first three matches due to an injury.

Chakravarthy, who played a key role in India's recent Champions Trophy victory, dismissed stand-in captain Riyan Parag, caught behind for 25 runs.

Former England all-rounder Moeen, filling in for the unwell Sunil Narine, effectively restricted the opposition with his off-spin, taking the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 29 runs.

Both the 37-year-old Moeen and Chakravarthy struck again, leaving Rajasthan at 82-5 after 11 overs.

Wickets continued to fall for Rajasthan, and despite contributions of 33 runs from wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel and 16 runs from Archer, they ended up with a subpar total.

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