Kagiso Rabada’s sore ribs have not settled in time, and South Africa will go into Saturday’s second Test in Guwahati without their pace spearhead for the second match running.
“The injury has been closely monitored by the Proteas medical team, and due to ongoing discomfort in the affected area, Rabada has been withdrawn from the remainder of the tour,” Cricket South Africa said on Friday. “He will continue the initial phase of his four-week rehabilitation program with the Proteas medical team before returning to South Africa at the conclusion of the second Test.”
That four-week timetable also rules Rabada out of the T20Is and ODIs that follow the two-match series. Late last week he felt a sharp pain during a training run-through in Kolkata, did not bowl again, and skipped Wednesday’s main session in Guwahati.
The selectors now face a familiar juggling act. Simon Harmer’s eight-for carried the attack in Kolkata, backed up by fellow spinner Keshav Maharaj. Marco Jansen should again lead the seamers, with Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch offering support. Both were patchy with the ball – Mulder sent down only five overs, Bosch bagged Rishabh Pant but little else – yet Bosch’s brisk 25 from No. 9 hinted at depth lower down. Lungi Ngidi, unused in the first Test, is the other specialist quick.
On pitches expected to grip, a two-spinner strategy still feels logical, though Rabada’s absence removes South Africa’s foremost strike option and a safety net if reverse swing appears late in the match. India, buoyed by their innings victory in Kolkata, will be mindful that the visitors’ attack suddenly looks light on experience.
For Rabada it is another frustrating interruption in a career already punctuated by niggles rather than major breaks. The Proteas staff are hopeful the enforced rest now will leave him fresher for a crowded 2026 calendar, but for the moment the tour moves on without its headline fast bowler.
