IPL 2018: Kagiso Rabada admits to workload concerns

What's the story?

South African pace sensation Kagiso Rabada has admitted that he is feeling the effects of increased workload, especially going into the IPL and that he will have to balance the pressure in the future if he intends to play for a long time.

While speaking on the importance of handling his workload, he admitted that "To be honest, right now I don't have answers".

"Something I have to think about and plan moving forward is how to have some time off. It is very important because you ultimately want to play for 10 to 15 years and you've got to have some sort of plan. You can't just drift through it", he added.

In case you didn't know...

The 22-year-old Rabada burst onto the international scene after playing a stellar role for South Africa in the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup, and made an instant impact, picking up a six-fer on his ODI debut. Since then, he has moved on to become the spearhead of the Protean fast bowling attack.

He is currently the leader in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers.

The heart of the matter

Rabada, who is part of the Delhi Daredevils line-up this year as well, is scrambling from continent to continent currently. He finished the fourth Test against Australia on April 3, and will head to India to be part of the Daredevils camp ahead of their season opener on April 8.

He was seen struggling with a stiff back during the final test, and couldn't bowl at full spate, further aggravating the problems of an injury-ridden South African attack.

What's next?

The Daredevils will take on the Kings XI Punjab on April 8, under the leadership of Delhi's comeback man Gautam Gambhir.

Author's take

While he is only 22, it is imperative that Cricket South Africa puts its foot down and makes sure that Rabada doesn't become a victim of burnout. There have been numerous instances in the past when fast bowlers have succumbed to injuries due to the relentless cycle of games: Rabada is too valuable a talent to be neglected and lost to injuries.

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