South African captain Dean Elgar informed the media that he had a few words with Kagiso Rabada, after the completion of the first Test, which sparked a flame in him and led to the fast bowler picking up seven wickets in what was a fabulous performance in the second Test match.
“I know what KG is capable of. When KG’s got his tail up, there’s no better bowler than him and I have experienced quite a few guys who have been part of this team. It was a good chat.
I can have those chats with KG and he responds extremely well. I went up to KG and I said to him, ‘You are an immensely respected cricketer within our group and at the moment I don’t think you are conducting yourself extremely well.”
he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
The conversation worked in South Africa’s favour, as Rabada returned with renewed energy and produced a spirited performance to pick up seven wickets against a mighty Indian squad that missed captain Virat Kohli’s calming presence in the middle order.
Rabada produced what looked like a shade of his former self as he bowled a fiery yet disciplined spell of bowling, which reaped the rewards, allowing the Proteas to win a Test match at Johannesburg against India for the first time ever.
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Some assumptions about the conversations speculate that Elgar might have spoken to Rabada about his exclusion from his franchise in the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals’ retentions for the next few editions of the marquee tournament.
From 2019, Rabada’s form has taken somewhat of a hit and has not been at the frightening best that the cricketing fraternity has come to expect of him. His economy rate in the IPL has taken a battering, as the Delhi Capitals opted to bench the Proteas quick in favour of the England all-rounder Chris Woakes in the past edition of the tournament.
Elgar revealed that Rabada gets fired up when something doesn’t go his way, and that can bring about the best in the mercurial pacer. In this case, it was two drop catches by Aiden Markram and Keegan Petersen that got him to turn it up.
”KG has got that attitude, and he’s got the want and he wants to bowl and he wants to contribute in a massive way. I mean, you have to utilise that as a captain. So it was awesome to see him fire,”
he added.
Rabada is now atop the wicket-takers charts with 13 wickets in two games, ahead of Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, and Indian paceman Mohammed Shami.
It will be interesting to see if the former DC man can continue his excellent form in the third Test at Cape Town, set to begin on January 11.
