Kagiso Rabada has played 89 ODIs and taken 137 wickets in the format. FILE - Kagiso Rabada has played 89 ODIs and taken 137 wickets in the format. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Johannesburg — There are perks to being a Red Bull Athlete, Kagiso Rabada will tell you.
“Well,” he will say with a grin on his face, “you get invited to every (Formula One) grand prix but it is a pity I play this game called cricket. Otherwise, I would be there.”
It might be a pity for KG, but for the rest of us, it is a marvel to watch the 28-year-old go about his business, steaming in with power to release thunderbolts of lightning from his hand, packaged in a small leather ball, at 140km/h-plus. In fact, it is a joy.
So, while Rabada could be rubbing shoulders with the likes of fellow marquee brand ambassadors Max Verstappen, Brad Binder, Jordy Smith and a bevy of other sporting superstars, the cricketing world gets to enjoy his skills and talents with greedy glee.
The paceman is enjoying a well-earned break from the game at the moment, resting his body and mind ahead of a hectic schedule in the second half of the year. It is then that Rabada & Co will take on Australia in August, and then depart for India to contest the one-day international World Cup.
He could perhaps hop onto a plane and take advantage of those grand prix invites in the coming weeks while on his sabbatical, but it seemed more likely that a quite chilled Rabada is more than happy to put in a good shift of R&R and remain in South Africa.
“I have been putting in some active recovery,” Rabada said, “so I haven’t been sitting around doing nothing.
“I have been enjoying my time off though. I haven’t had this amount of time off since I can ever remember. It has come at a good time. I will keep enjoying it until I have to hold a cricket bat or release a cricket ball again.”
Earlier on Wednesday night, while overlooking the well-manicured outfield of the Wanderers in Johannesburg, Rabada had revealed that it was not so much the physical side of playing cricket near-constantly but rather the mental fatigue that takes its toll. It was apparent this past season that Rabada was battling with his form, so the rest will do him well and could see him return to his marauding best.
After all, a reinvigorated Rabada – fresh in mind, body and spirit – will be required later this year, if the Proteas are to make a successful bid for World Cup glory.
It has become even more important that he is managed correctly in this regard, as Rabada will be the tip of the spear when the Proteas begin their campaign against a yet to be confirmed opponent, at a yet to be announced venue, on a date and time yet to be decided by the BCCI.
He will also play an important leadership role as one of the senior members of the team – a facet of his game that he has admittedly only started to work on recently.
“I am always confident in my abilities as a cricketer,” said Rabada.
“As a leader, it is something that I am learning. It is not something that you just get right, and it is not something that is textbook.
“There has to be a nuisance to it, and I think people lead in different ways. I think I am finding my own leadership style …
“I am opening my mind to it so as not to follow a more mundane approach. It is about reading the game the way you want to read it, and having an influence the way you want to influence it.
“It is about breaking it down. If you don’t, you go there with just a clump of information and that will confuse you.
“It is also about asking myself: How have I led in the past? How can I lead in the future? How have I performed in my previous games and how can I get better? What do I expect from myself from that tournament?
“Once I come up with those answers, which I am in the process of doing, then it is about executing that plan.”
That comes with its own set of expectations across the board, but Rabada is confident he has a firm handle on it.
“Pressure?” Rabada asked.
“I am not really afraid of losing. I hate losing, but I am not afraid of it.
“I am not afraid of being criticised. I am a cricketer and I love to play the game and I will always play it hard … I will fight hard for the team and I will fight hard in my performances.”
Having played in India in close to 70 IPL games since 2017 will further aid his leadership development come the World Cup and, according to Rabada, plying his trade so often on the sub-continent will be an important advantage for the Proteas.
“Playing in India is really tough as a fast bowler on some of those wickets,” said Rabada, who has played 89 ODIs and taken 137 wickets in the format.
“I guess the challenge now, at the age that I am, is to know (and understand) the basic information that a newbie wouldn’t know. You are always learning and always looking to be as effective as you can be on different wickets.
“It is all about reading (the pitch) better and that is in combination with the goals that you set. Those two go in tandem – reading the conditions and executing your skills.
“It sounds very nonchalant and easy to say, but it is a very rigorous process and a tough one. That is the process that I am currently involved in. That is where I am.
“Heading into the World Cup in India, I do think that we have an advantage because we have played in the IPL for so many years. We have played at most of the grounds, if not all, so we understand those conditions.”
While Rabada enjoys his time off, the SA A side are touring Sri Lanka, playing a handful of matches across all the formats there. Earlier this week, they lost the first unofficial Test against the island nation by 160 runs. Their second match starts on Monday.
The next four-year cycle in the Test arena for the Proteas is bereft of consistent matches against quality outfits, so the ongoing SA A tour on the subcontinent has far-reaching consequences for the longer format and the development of players in SA.
Moreover, Rabada likes the personnel on display in that team, and argued that will only do them good due to the sparse Test schedule the Proteas will endure in the coming years.
“I don’t want to mention any names,” Rabada said coyly, when asked who has the gift of the gab when it comes to talking with the bat-in-hand, or ball-in-palm. “To be honest that whole team (is good).
“There are some talented players in that team, I promise you. The only thing that needs to happen is that they need to get more exposure, especially in the SA A set-up because that is what I got.
“You need that SA A exposure. It gives you a taste of international cricket, so when you do play international cricket, you are not too far behind. Nothing beats experience and playing at that level. Your skills are going to get tested for a longer period …
“It is good to gauge what it takes to go that level above and what exactly is required of them at international level. It is still quite a big step up.”