2 min readMar 21, 2026 09:07 AM IST
Kagiso Rabada has lifted the lid on what made Virat Kohli the relentless Test batter he ever bowled at, while also sounding the alarm for fast bowlers in the modern T20 era.
Speaking on the Fast Bowling Cartel podcast, the South African spearhead rated Kohli’s sheer consistency under pressure.
“He was probably the most conventional — he wouldn’t necessarily hurt you, but you’d look up at the scoreboard and he’d made an impact. When you got him out, you’d really earned his wicket.”
Rabada grouped Kohli alongside Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson as the four batters who had been “the most consistent for the longest time” during his international career.
However it was David Warner who he reserved a special mention for as the most dangerous. “If you weren’t on, he could hurt you. He scored in funny areas. You had to be really on it to earn his wicket.”
Out of T20, Rabada warned, painting a stark picture of what modern white-ball cricket demands from pace attacks.
“With 60-metre boundaries and no real bounce, skidding on — you almost have to have some sort of mystery.” He pointed to technology as having fundamentally shifted the balance of power. “People are literally analyzing everything you do. Batsmen get on bowling machines and just learn how to slog a length.”
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He was candid that the traditional fast bowler’s stock delivery is increasingly redundant in the shortest format. “It kind of nullifies your traditional length bowler. You almost have to use more of your one-day skills and develop skills that are going to deceive the batter.”
