'I'm nowhere near done' - Kagiso Rabada aims to go a long way ahead of 50th Test in Cape Town

The upcoming third Test match between South Africa and India will mark Kagiso Rabada’s 50th appearance in the format. Having made his Test debut in 2015, Rabada has been a vital member of the team and his numbers are nothing short of spectacular. Notably, fast bowlers are more prone to injuries in comparison of players operating in other departments.

With the cricket calendar being jam-packed nowadays, playing Test cricket for long isn’t easy for a fast bowler. However, Rabada reckons he’s nowhere near done and eyes to go a long way in the format. The 26-year-old already has 226 Test wickets in his cabinet and is spearheading South Africa’s pace attack across formats. Notably, he is also the fastest South African bowler and fourth fastest overall in terms of age to complete 200 Test wickets.

It’s about being the best and there’s no limit to that: Kagiso Rabada

“As much as it is about taking wickets, it’s about being the best I can be and there’s no limit to that. I feel like I’m nowhere near done. It’s just about coming back and playing the next game. You can never take international cricket for granted,” Rabada was quoted as saying by the Cricket South Africa website.

“For me it’s about the longevity and not doing it for just a short amount of time. It’s about doing it for a long time and that’s what keeps driving me,” he added. Rabada also said he got aware of the approaching milestone only after the conclusion of the last game.

“It’s quite special. I didn’t even know how many games I was on and only found out after the last Test match that this would be my 50th. It kind of really goes by without noticing. But it’s something special for me, I’ve always wanted to represent my country, so this is definitely a personal milestone and one that I’ll hold dear to my heart,” he added.

Rabada also recalled how he tackled the tough times in his career. “There’s been lots of ups and downs, it’s definitely been challenging to keep good performances going for a long amount of time. It’s been tough navigating your way through the lows — I think that’s been quite difficult — and then also trying to get through the external pressures that can influence your game and also influence the team space,” he added.