South Africa have decided to rest their premier quick Kagiso Rabada from the ODI series versus India, starting with the opening game in Paarl on January 19.
Keeping in mind a short turnaround from what was an absorbing three-Test series versus the tourists, Cricket South Africa have withdrawn Rabada from the ODI leg of the India visit to manage his workload ahead of the next month’s important WTC 2021-23 fixtures in New Zealand, followed by home Tests versus Bangladesh.
The news for Rabada to skip the ODI series came less than 24 hours before the first ball is bowled at the Boland Park, with CSA confirming that the pacer has been rested “due to high workloads over a sustained period of time and the need for him to recover prior the outbound Test series against New Zealand next month.”
CSA’s decision is in line with India’s call to rest one of their main Test speedsters Mohammad Shami from the ODI leg of the tour. The visitors were expected to also rest ace quick Jasprit Bumrah. But there is a likelihood of him skipping the following limited-overs series versus West Indies.
It means that both sides will be slightly understrength, but the busy calendar along with the stringent protocols amid the pandemic make it necessary to look after the players’ physical and mental health.
Rabada has been shifting bubbles since the start of September when he played the tour of Sri Lanka before entering the second half of the IPL 2021 for Delhi Capitals, an event that finished with only a two-day gap towards the T20 World Cup. It is only after the World Cup that Rabada got a breather of about a month or so as selectors opted to rest him from the ODIs versus the Netherlands.
Rabada was one of the keys to South Africa’s resurgence and 2-1 Test series victory over India. The pacer picked up pace as the series wore on, taking 20 wickets at only 19.05. He bowled 119.1 overs – the most for a South African seamer in the series – over six innings.
Rabada being rested, with CSA confirming no replacements for him, raises the possibility of Marco Jansen making his ODI debut. Jansen is another of the Proteas fast-bowler who troubled India a lot during the Test matches.
