Rabada held in reserve behind pace trio
South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada has been a revelation in the shorter formats for the Proteas so far, but will have to wait a bit longer for a Test debut, says bowling coach Charl Langeveldt.
The Proteas will opt to go with their senior pace trio on the tour to India next month, with Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, and Morne Morkel valued for their experience in tough conditions.
Langeveldt said that it made little sense to change a winning side, and that the conditions would likely demand two spinners, making a fourth pace spot for Rabada unlikely.
Langeveldt said: "We're winning Test matches at the moment, so it's going to be hard for Kagiso to get into the side and India is going to be even harder because we might even play two spinners.
"We've got three seam bowlers that have done well for South Africa for a number of years now but if an injury comes along then you never know."
He added of Steyn and Philander: "Our fast bowling attack is still key. Steyn bowls well with the ball reversing and with the new ball; although it's an SG ball, he does bowl well and he gets the ball to reverse.
"When Vernon bowled in Bangladesh, he was one of our best bowlers. He made guys play a lot more than others. If he can strike with the new ball in India, that's key for us.
"He brings that consistency to our attack and he can keep the run rate down. He went for about one-and-a-half runs an over in Bangladesh recently.
"He didn't get the results but if you talk about keeping the run-rate down and creating pressure from one end while the spinner is attacking from the other end, he can do that."
While Rabada may not be a first pick yet, he has the potential to be one, says 'Langes', who added that the young paceman had reverse swing ability by virtue of his natural action.
The coach said: "KG has got a good wrist position so the ball will reverse for him as well. It's all about looking after the ball.
"That's the key to teach him now: to prepare the ball, to look to shine, even throwing from the boundary, those are the things we will discuss.
"Everyone knows how to prepare the ball for when it does reverse, or when it is reversing or how to get it to reverse."
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