Revealed- Why Kagiso Rabada is not playing today's Test match vs India?

South Africa has been dealt a major setback as they are facing India without their star fast bowler Kagiso Rabada in the two-match Test series opener at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Temba Bavuma, the South Africa captain, won the toss and decided to bat first against India, led by Shubman Gill, at the Eden Gardens. After winning the toss, the Proteas captain revealed the reason behind Kagiso Rabada’s absence in the playing XI for the Kolkata Test.

Kagiso Rabada ruled out of 1st Test against India

Bavuma said that Rabada has been sidelined due to a rib injury, and Corbin Bosch replaced him in the South Africa XI against India for the first Test in Kolkata. Notably, Rabada injured his rib at training in the lead-up to the first Test against India at Eden Gardens.

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Temba Bavuma said at the toss, “Rabada misses out due to a rib injury; Corbin Bosch comes in his place.” The South African captain added, “It's on the dry side. Not much grass. It's a typical Indian wicket. First-inning runs are the key.”

Read Also: Shubman Gill goes cocky after losing another toss, claims will win WTC Final..

Rabada was last seen in action on the Pakistan tour. Since the pitches were made for the spinners, the star pacer could manage only four wickets in two Test matches against Pakistan.

Playing XIs for Kolkata Test:

South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne(w), Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj

India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

South Africa finally break toss curse in India after 14 years

Meanwhile, South Africa finally broke a long-running streak of bad luck in India as they won the toss for the first time in eight Tests on Indian soil since 2015. They last won a toss in India way back in 2010, and interestingly, it happened at the same venue—Eden Gardens.

England holds the record for the most consecutive tosses lost in India with a staggering run of eleven between 1961 and 1973. India themselves went through a tough phase between 1934 and 1951, losing eight in a row. South Africa also lost seven straight tosses during 2015-2019.

Well, India begins the home Test series against South Africa sitting in the third spot on the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 points table with 61.9% of the points they have played for so far. On the other hand, the defending champions, South Africa, are placed fifth with an even 50% of their points at the WTC 2025-27 points table.

Read Also: "Remove Shubman Gill"- Twitter reacts as India captain loses yet another toss

Vernon Philander backs Kagiso Rabada to shine in India

Meanwhile, Indian pitches are known to be tough for fast bowlers, but former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander believes that Kagiso Rabada can still make a strong impact in the two-match Test series.

However, Rabada hasn’t enjoyed much success in India so far, with only nine wickets in six tests, but Philander feels the Proteas speedster has the skills to turn things around this time.

Philander was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “I watched him operate in the Pakistan series, and you almost see a completely different Kagiso Rabada. The control is broad. Understanding that he might not be able to bowl 16 to 20 overs in a day but more like bowling 12 overs in a day, and those 12 overs need to be really impactful.

Your role in the subcontinent in the team obviously changes. You’re there to perhaps play more of a supporting role and afford the spinners space to strike. But I still feel Kagiso Rabada is a world-class bowler. If you put him on any surface, he will have an impact on matches.”