De Villiers blossomed with the additional responsibility, even as concerns over a chronic back injury grew. He was relieved from keeping in shorter formats to concentrate on captaincy when Quinton de Kock was included in South African squad. By 2014, he had also handed the Test keeper's gloves to de Kock. That seemed a sensible decision because Smith retired in March that year and de Villiers was believed to be the natural successor. However, he was overlooked in favour of Amla.