Rabada Ruled Out of 1st Test Against India Due to Rib Injury

Kagiso Rabada suffered injuries at the first training session of South Africa in India on Tuesday, and this left him out of the Eden Gardens Test on the morning of the match. Whether he would be fit enough to take part in the second Test, which is scheduled to be played next week in Guwahati, remains a mystery.  

Rabada underwent a scan the morning after the injury occurred. Despite the setback, he still attended the training session on Wednesday, although the exact level of his participation is unknown.

Rabada missed the optional training on Thursday, a normal routine among most of the senior players, and conducted a fitness test on Friday morning. Following the discomfort experienced during the test, the officials ruled him out of the Test.  

In the XI, Corbin Bosch will replace him. South Africa named Bosch, who has previously played three Tests in its squad in Pakistan, but did not use him. He is now a part of the seam trio in the first Test with Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder.  

South Africa does not carry other seamers in the team because Lungi Ngidi was not included in the Pakistan and India series in order to adopt a horses-for-courses approach to suit the conditions in the subcontinent. Despite Rabada’s injury, no additional players have been called up to the squad yet.

The Proteas will face another Test, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is in India over the next five weeks. While the white-ball squads are yet to be announced, Rabada is expected to be included in South Africa’s T20I plans for next year’s T20 World Cup.