Photo Credit: Facebook Photo of Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada is open to the prospect of captaining South Africa, stating he would “heavily consider” the role if offered by Cricket South Africa (CSA). While acknowledging the significant responsibility that comes with leadership, the 29-year-old believes it would require a shift in mindset.
“I have been asked this question quite a lot. And it’s made me consider it. I think it’s going to take some maturity on my side. But if the question was thrown to me by Cricket South Africa or by one of the coaches, I would consider it heavily,” Rabada told PTI in an exclusive interview.
With 327 Test wickets in 70 matches, along with 168 ODI and 71 T20I scalps, Rabada is among the premier fast bowlers of his generation. He shares the elite company of Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah, both of whom have taken on leadership roles for their respective teams. While Cummins is Australia’s full-time captain, Bumrah has occasionally led India in Tests and T20Is. Rabada, if given the opportunity, is contemplating the level of maturity and planning required to take on the challenge.
“You can’t just focus on yourself, you have to focus on everyone else, and not just on-field stuff, but also off-field stuff,” he added.
Beyond leadership aspirations, Rabada discussed the rigorous demands of modern cricket. While acknowledging the financial benefits of T20 leagues, he emphasized that playing for the Proteas remains his top priority.
“My faith and my loyalty lie with South Africa. The Proteas. You’re thinking team first, obviously. You just have to find ways to make sure that your body is good and that you maintain efficiency and intensity throughout the year,” he explained.
The South African pacer believes managing workload is crucial to maintaining performance. “You really do have to have your ducks in a row. Otherwise, mentally and physically, you will blow out. It takes quite a bit of consideration into how you’re going to go about your year.”
When asked about Jasprit Bumrah, Rabada was full of admiration, highlighting what makes the Indian pacer so special.
“Firstly, he’s very accurate. He’s got a very awkward action. His action is not conventional at all. So, that in itself is a trick for batters. He’s very unique. And he knows how to work batters out. And he’s got the deliveries to do it,” he said.
Regarding the impact of using saliva on the white Kookaburra ball in IPL, Rabada believes there could be some effect but remains unsure about its role in reverse swing.
“Yes, I think it can impact. Simply because of the frequency of when you’ll be shining the ball. Having to use your sweat the whole time. I guess in India it wouldn’t be an issue because it tends to get quite hot,” he noted.
Despite cricket becoming increasingly data-driven, Rabada prefers to rely on instinct.
“I think you do need quite a few different strategies these days because of the amount of data that’s going around. Although you don’t really always do what the analyst says, most of the time you’ll go on your gut and the analyst is just more of a reference,” he explained.
However, he believes the influx of data has slightly diminished the ‘X-factor’ of players.
“I do think that these days, especially in T20 cricket, the playing field has been leveled almost in a way because there’s so much data going around. So, players’ X-factor is not quite the same because we play against each other quite a lot, and you know what somebody is going to do,” he observed.
On a lighter note, Rabada expressed his enjoyment of working with Ashish Nehra, his head coach at Gujarat Titans.
“Ashish is quite a character, so I’m enjoying (spending time with) him. It’s good also to be playing again with Rashid Khan. I’ve been playing with him quite a bit, so it’s nice to have him here,” he concluded.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
