Kagiso Rabada, a fast bowler from South Africa, has downplayed the importance of taking 500 wickets in international cricket. While acknowledging that statistics are a gauge of progress, he insisted that getting plenty more wickets for South Africa will always be his primary goal.
On Tuesday, December 26, the first day of the Centurion Test between India and South Africa, Kagiso Rabada was the standout performer. On the first day, the Proteas won the toss and elected to bowl first. He took 5/44 in 17 overs, bringing the visitors to 208/8 in 59 overs at stumps of first day.
Kagiso Rabada took his first five-wicket haul against India, and with his 14th five-wicket haul in Test matches, Rabada became one of the elite group of bowlers who have taken 500 or more.
“You can’t be too stats oriented” – Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada is the seventh bowler from South Africa to reach 500 wickets in international matches. The other Proteas bowlers on the renowned list are Shaun Pollock (823), Dale Steyn (697), Makhaya Ntini (661), Allan Donald (602), Jacques Kallis (572), and Morne Morkel (535).
In a speech at the end of the Centurion test’s first day, he downplayed the accomplishment by saying that milestones are a great thing, and they’re a description of how you play and a metric to measure the quality.
“Milestones are a great thing. When you’re young, you want to become the best. Statistics are a description of how you play and a metric to measure your quality. But at the end of the day, you can’t be too stats oriented. It’s literally just about going through your processes and whatever happens next is out of your control. Hopefully, I can get many more wickets for South Africa,” Proteas pacer said.
“You are playing only two Test matches year”- Makhaya Ntini thinks Rabada won’t surpass Steyn’s Test record
Makhaya Ntini, a former fast bowler for South Africa, praised Rabada as one of the greatest players in Proteas cricket history. However, he believed that because South Africa does not play enough Test matches in a year, the pacer is unlikely to surpass Dale Steyn‘s record of 439 wickets in the format.
“He is already up there (among greats). When you talk about those guys, when you talk about those bowlers, they have passed the 400-mark and KG (Rabada) is chasing the 300-mark. But we have got a massive problem. You are playing two Test matches a year and what is that? Do you think this guy (Rabada) can hold up till he gets to that milestone,” Nitini told PTI.
Kagiso Rabada is playing in his 61st Test. He has 285 wickets to his name in the format at an average of 22.10.