Kagiso Rabada has picked up 19 wickets in four matches this year. (Reuters)Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer and Kagiso Rabada are among the three premier fast bowlers in world cricket right now.
All the three have pace, accuracy and can be lethal at any stage of the game because of their skill level.
However, Bumrah’s performance in the Carribean islands and Archer’s fiery display in the Ashes has cast a shadow over the Protean pacer.
Despite having picked up 19 wickets in four Tests this year, Rabada has hardly been the talk of the town in 2019.
But the 24-year-old speedster isn’t bothered by the rise of his contemporaries. Ahead of the T20I series against India, Rabada said that players like Bumrah and Archer provide healthy competition which in turn helps to lift his game.
However, he was also quick to add that it is the media which creates a ‘hype around certain players’.
“I admire those bowlers, they are good bowlers,” Rabada told iol.co.za before adding, “However, the media hypes certain players, and that’s okay.”
“I know I have been playing very well. Archer is such a natural talent; Bumrah is doing wonders, and that can force you to lift your game. You are not always at the top, that’s one thing I can tell you,” he said.
“It’s never easy maintaining a career. I’ve learned that there are a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I want to be the best in the world, everybody does. You are naturally going to compete in that fashion, I’m not too worried, I’m feeling nice and easy,” he added.
“I’m disappointed, not angry [about the World Cup]. What do I do with anger? When a setback comes, you want to be determined, you don’t want to change a lot of things. It’s about seeing where you went wrong and then putting in extra work,” Rabada concluded.
