Just a glimpse of Kagiso Rabada’s piercing glare and it makes you feel as if a proud lion is on the prowl. The lion certainly roared at his favourite hunting ground — the SuperSport Park in Centurion — as he ripped through the cream of the Indian batting unit and bagged a five-for on the opening day of the Test.
Despite returning from an injury and not touching top pace, there was an air of bristling energy and aggression surrounding Rabada’s bowling. The first ball of the opening over itself served as a cue for the rest of the day, as he pounded the pitch hard and the ball bounced extra on its way to the ’keeper.
About 10-15 minutes later, Rohit Sharma was seen attempting his go-to pull shot on a track that had spongy bounce. But Rabada’s direction with the short ball was on the money. All that Rohit could do was pull it to the fielder stationed at long-leg. It was basically Rabada’s ‘heavy ball’ or hit-the-deck skills that provided him with the prized scalp.
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Ravi Ashwin, the all-rounder, too, couldn’t do much against Rabada’s primary skill. His bowling wasn’t just about hard length though. In between, he unleashed a delivery that slanted in slightly before moving away just enough in the air and off the pitch to catch the edge of Virat Kohli’s bat. The line and length was perfect for the conditions on view. Simply put, it was a peach. All that Kohli could do was put his head down and trudge back to the pavilion.
Rabada’s sheaf of arrows had another potent weapon —scrambled seam. He bowled enough of those at the Indian batting unit. One of them nipped back in sharply to rattle the timber and send Shreyas Iyer back to the hut.
As it comes out of the hand all scrambled, the batter won’t be able to gauge which way it would move after pitching. As Rabada also hit the pitch hard, the Centurion track offered him a hint of variable bounce, with the ball staying a touch low on that occasion.
Let’s delve deeper to examine how tall pace bowlers like Rabada and Curtly Ambrose have used scrambled seam as a weapon. Some years ago, while doing a commentary stint on Sky Sports, Michael Holding, the great West Indies fast bowler, had observed that a portion of Shannon Gabriel’s deliveries are scrambled seam. He added, as Gabriel is not a swing bowler, he doesn’t need to keep the seam upright every ball and it turns out to be a natural variation for him. Rabada has employed this variation to great effect.
Rabada is a phenomenon. Just have a quick look at his astounding numbers at home: 178 wickets at an average of 19.05 and strike rate of 33.2. His overall numbers in Test cricket are awe-inspiring too — 285 scalps at 22.10 and strike rate of 39.3. His detractors might point to his rather modest numbers in Asia, but there is no doubt about his greatness. On a spicy Centurion deck, that stamp of greatness was visible not just in his skills but also in body language: The predator was ever-ready to pounce on any small weakness of its prey.
Centurion is all set for the #BoxingDayTest between South Africa and India.
Fans’ reaction ahead of the much-awaited Test. @ThumsUpOfficial @CricSubhayan #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/ujDAD8WPJj
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) December 26, 2023