Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s pace leader, has revealed that a turbulent 12 months has made him someone much less affected by public criticism after enduring low drug ban prices and the world’s highest Test win with South Africa.
Rabada, who is currently at the helm of Gujarat Titans’ IPL 2026 campaign, missed a large part of last year’s IPL after serving a month-long suspension for abusing cocaine. However, the fast bowler bounced back in a big way within a few weeks and played a key role South Africa’s historic Test World Cup triumph in June 2025.
Reflecting on the emotional swings of the past year, the 30-year-old said the experience taught him not to place too much value on outside opinions.
“What I learned from it is don’t take people’s opinions seriously. Don’t take the world, don’t take things too seriously. Sometimes things are blown out of proportion. Sometimes things are just exaggerated,” Rabada told PTI in an interview.
“The things that you really care about. All those people that are close to you. How you feel alone. That’s really what I’ve learned in a nutshell. That you’re not going to make everyone happy. And that you shouldn’t try to make everyone happy. Just remember who you are,” he added.
Rabada’s return to top form has been emphatic. After missing South Africa’s away Test series against India in December due to a rib injury, the fast bowler has rediscovered rhythm and pace in the IPL, breaking the 150km/h mark regularly. He is currently among the top wicket takers this season with 21 scalps.
The senior pacer is also closing in on another career milestone, closing in on 600 international wickets across formats and continues to be one of the world’s premier cricket bowlers across all formats.
INTERNATIONAL CRICKET REMAINS THE PRIORITY
At a time when many top cricketers are scaling back international commitments to participate in franchise leagues around the world, Rabada said smart workload management has become essential.
The South African pacer admitted that keeping fit now requires more attention to detail as he gets older.
“Yeah, my body’s feeling pretty decent I’ve got to say. Touchwood. To keep trying to stay on top of things, not let things fester and cause unnecessary headaches in the future. It’s just about not taking things for granted and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Rabada said.
“There’s no real change in fitness regimen. As you get older, you have to work a lot harder on the smaller things. I’ve always been someone who worked really hard.”
However, Rabada denied that he would start “picking and choosing” formats to prolong his career.
“I pick and choose, I don’t think that’s the right phrase to use. I think the right phrase to use is to be wise about what I play and when,” he explained.
With South Africa set for a busy domestic season with big Test assignments against Australia and England, followed by preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Rabada has already decided to skip franchise tournaments like Major League Cricket and The Hundred this year.
“You’re looking at a year of planning. So there are other leagues we can play as MLC, a hundred. And for me it’s sacrificing those and not playing them to prepare for international cricket,” added Rabada.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
14 May 2026 18:09 IST
