Kagiso Rabada, the South African pace bowling sensation, has achieved a remarkable feat at the young age of 28: taking 500 international wickets. This milestone places him amongst the game’s fastest achievers, and his journey to this point has been nothing short of extraordinary. He is just the seventh South African to achieve this feat in the history of the game.
Having made his international debut in 2014, at the age of 19, he has emerged as a phenomenal bowler who is sure to end as a genuine great of the game. Rabada’s impact was immediate. His ability to consistently bowl over 150 kmph and extract swing made him a nightmare for batsmen across formats. He took 23 wickets in his first Test series against India, a record for a debutant fast bowler, and continued to pile on the wickets across formats.
While Rabada’s exploits in Test cricket have been remarkable, his success has not been limited to the longer format. He is equally adept in white-ball cricket, having already crossed 150 wickets in ODI. His ability to adapt his bowling to different formats and situations makes him a valuable asset to any team.
The ‘500’ moment
The extraordinary moment came in when Rabada dismissed Shardul Thakur in the 47th over of the day. Thakur tried to drive an outside-off stump delivery which carried straight to the fielder at short mid-off. It was also the moment when Rabada claimed reached his five-wicket haul. Earlier, he had dismissed Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli to put India on the back foot.
Through his brilliant performances, Rabada has inspired a new generation of young pacers and has been instrumental in South Africa’s recent successes in Test cricket. His leadership qualities and his ability to perform under pressure make him a natural leader within the team. At just 28, Rabada has already achieved more than many fast bowlers do in their entire careers. With his talent, work ethic, and hunger for success, he has the potential to become one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time.
Here’s how ‘X-verse’ reacted to his phenomenal achievement:
Making nahi bhai. He's already a legend of the game. His sheer numbers, the impact he has on the game is stuff of legends. ???
— Anurag Rekhi (@Dravidict) December 26, 2023
Kagiso Rabada is a modern day great of the game and he will retire as probably the last or one of the last fast bowlers who will have a good tally of wickets in tests and Odis both. pic.twitter.com/o570aoIh9R
— Sæn (@TheHelmetPunch) December 26, 2023
He’ll gonna become the huge thing in test Cricket?
— Listen (@listen_virat) December 26, 2023
Need to improve his T20 bowling.
He is beast for DC in IPL.— Guri? (@Guri_Pbks) December 26, 2023
This is incredible stats ???. Well Done ? Rabada ?
— Ratheesh Nair (@Ratheeshnair01) December 26, 2023
No lungi..
No nortje..Meanwhile Rabada to Captain Temba pic.twitter.com/Hw8xObyXVC
— VJ (@VJsGamer) December 26, 2023
A proper bowler, legend in making, deserved
— Hassan. (@Heyitshassan) December 26, 2023
No lungi..
No nortje..Meanwhile Rabada to Captain Temba pic.twitter.com/Hw8xObyXVC
— VJ (@VJsGamer) December 26, 2023
