Kagiso Rabada interview: ‘You might as well call our sport Batting and not Cricket, if there isn’t a balance between bat and ball’

There has been a lot of chatter around the first 300 total being achieved in this year’s IPL, and most of it is due to the way Sunrisers Hyderabad have been going about their business. On Sunday, in their first match of the season, SRH appeared to have it within their sights, needing 44 runs off the last 2 overs – a very doable scenario with Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan in the middle. The batting approach from Pat Cummins’ side in the last two years of IPL has been so explosive that when SRH finished on 286/6 – their & IPL’s 2nd highest total – it felt a few short. So what do the bowlers think of such scenarios?

South African speedster Kagiso Rabada, who has joined Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2025, spoke to The Indian Express about the importance of maintaining a balance between bat and ball. Excerpts from the interview:

What’s your view on the chatter around the 300-milestone possibly being achieved in this IPL?

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The game has to progress somehow, but I don’t think it can just get too flat, like every single game. It would take the fun out of it. You know, then you might as well call our sport Batting, and not Cricket. I have no issues with a few records being broken, that’s fine. High-scoring games are good, but so are low-scoring games. But you can’t have it tilting either side too dramatically, there needs to be a balance that is maintained between bat and ball.

How do you handle the pressure of high scores as a bowler? Do you have to find methods to handle this onslaught?

Yes, because that’s the way the game is headed. You can’t sit back and complain about the conditions. You must do something about it as a bowler. However, the game of cricket as a whole would just be boring if you just saw high scores or low scores all the time. The most exciting games are the ones which hang in the balance, requiring batters to apply themselves when wickets fall and play really well to win matches for their teams, or bowlers to step up in the same manner. It shouldn’t be about just survival for either.

There have been changes in rules like the ban on saliva being lifted in the IPL. Did you feel the absence of reverse swing in the period it was banned?

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I guess so. Using saliva and sweat are two different aspects… they have different textures, though I can’t explain scientifically how it affects the ball. Let’s see how this IPL goes with saliva being used again. It’s definitely interesting.

What are your thoughts about the use of two new balls in ODI cricket, that has come under criticism?

It has made it easier for batters in the death overs. The two new balls were introduced to level the playing field in the Powerplays because of flatter wickets. I do think, especially, in the last phase of the ODIs, the finishing batters back in the day had to be more skilled because of reverse swing on offer. It’s now easier for batters with two harder balls, they can just swing through the line. It’s much harder to hit a softer ball.

Would you like to see changes there?

It’s an interesting topic, I’ll have to think a bit more about what changes I’d like to see. I definitely do believe that, with the amount of data and analysis available these days, the playing field has leveled because teams know exactly what other players will do. That takes a bit of mystery out of the game and removes some of the natural talent as well. Sometimes it can get quite robotic, so that does level the playing field a little. You can’t run away from it.

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The importance of yorkers in white-ball cricket… Do you feel that it’s maybe underutilized in T20 cricket? Is there a fear of missing out on execution?

Yeah, yorkers, if you’re executing them, are still a very effective ball to have. It’s a timeless ball to have up your sleeve. The way the batters can hit these days, with the size of the bats, it becomes a risk-and-reward situation. But, honestly, I still haven’t seen too many batters able to put away that perfect yorker, you know? It is still not easy to hit yorkers for sixes. It’s extremely important for my game as well. I keep trying to top up on it every day I am at the nets.

How’s it been like joining Gujarat Titans? A good pace unit assembled this year.

The players have been given the freedom, and everything is well organized and chilled out to be honest, but there’s a lot of hard work being done behind the scenes. I’m really enjoying working with Ashish (Nehra). It’s a great bunch of lads with a nice bowling attack, with good pace, which will suit the Ahmedabad conditions.

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