Throughout the World Test Championship final, Kagiso Rabada kept a variation of that in mind and chose to focus on the good. We are all familiar with the proverb that states that we have the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, and that they fight to control our behaviour.
“Normally, you have two voices in your head: the doubting voice and the believing voice. At Lord’s, Rabada told reporters, “The second is the one that we keep feeding, especially in big moments like this, the World Test Championship final.” “That explains why you witnessed the performances that you did. It speaks well of our team this year.
South Africa took the lead early in a tight 10-session Test match by bowling Australia out for 212, but they wasted it as they fell to 138 all out. To give South Africa a chance, it was essential to limit Australia in the second innings. At one point, they had Australia at 73 for 7, and South Africa could have been chasing as few as 200. That soared to 282, but Conrad thought it was manageable on a flattening field and gave his bowlers, especially Rabada, credit for laying the groundwork for their triumph.
“Where did we reverse it? That bowling performance was obviously important since we could have easily dozed off in the field and they would have greatly outplayed us’, Conrad remarked. “KG is a superstar because of this. He was aware that we just had one chance.
Rabada wouldn’t accept that view of himself.
He stated, “I don’t see myself as a star,” in spite of the data to the contrary. He has the highest strike rate in the game for a player with more than 200 wickets and ranks fourth on South Africa’s all-time list of wicket-takers.
“I view myself as someone who is prepared to donate blood for this squad and who will keep putting in a lot of effort and getting better. As a cricket player, I always want to get better and play with great pride for the badge. I’ve been working really hard, and when you’re a little worn out, those second-inning stints are the ones that matter more. Either you’re ahead of the game or you’re behind it. We’re behind the game this time. However, I believe it came down to maintaining composure and focussing on the situation at hand. That is my self-perception.
Given the composition of this crop, it seems logical that he has previously characterised playing with a group of friends as being a part of this squad. Two members of the XI, Kyle Verreynne and David Bedingham, are from the same Cape Town school, while Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, and Ryan Rickelton are all from the same Johannesburg school. Since the start of Rabada’s career, he has been a member of the same local team as Temba Bavuma. Rabada and Aiden Markram were part of the same trophy-winning under-19 team that won the 2014 age-group World Cup. Lungi Ngidi was supposed to play for that under-19 team as well, but he was unable to participate due to an injury.
Ngidi also merits special attention. Ngidi tore through the middle-order in a nine-over stint that claimed three wickets and wiped out the memories of his first-innings performance, while Rabada claimed the first three wickets in Australia’s second innings. Additionally, it validated Conrad’s choice of Ngidi for “bounce, seam and swing movement,” according to Conrad. “And he delivered.”
Rabada recommended a steak, a milkshake, and a movie to cheer Ngidi up after his awful first day, refusing to become involved in his shortcomings. Ngidi did what? Rabada grinned and quipped, “He had a milkshake, he had a steak, he watched a movie and he came back,” towards Ngidi, whom he obviously views as an equal.
The same is true for the entire group. This group has grown up together and in the spotlight. Their current run of success is all the more remarkable because, as a young team, they have learnt their lessons—sometimes painfully—on the largest platform. With two more Test matches against Zimbabwe (sorry, neighbours), South Africa’s victory streak of eight should reach ten, the longest in their history. Their first trophy featuring the word “world” on it has been won. They seem to have a core group of players who will prioritise the nation even when league money calls. Rabada is in charge of this team and that list in many respects.
“This is something I will always remember. This is something that the lads will never forget. With all due respect, Australia is a seasoned team that is getting a little old when they play. When we were still in high school, some of those people were playing,” he remarked. So, this is really, really special. It still hasn’t set in. I’m not really able to explain.”
India
