'I think it's just my passion' - Kagiso Rabada feels he needs to sort out his temper issues

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada has been one of the leading speedsters in the international circuit at the moment. Known for his sheer pace, the 25-year-old has emerged as a potent member of the Proteas bowling force and his stats speak for his worth.

While donning the South African jersey in 43 Tests and 75 ODIs, the pacer has managed to pluck 197 and 117 wickets respectively. He has constantly been receiving accolades for his bowling expeditions but one thing which has been haunting Rabada is his on-field aggression. Recently, Rabada was handed a one-match ban for his celebration after taking the wicket of England’s Joe Root.

This was not the first instance when the 25-year-old was handed a ban by the ICC. On previous two occasions, against England in 2017 and against Australia in 2018, Rabada was handed similar bans for breaching ICC’s code of conduct. Reacting to his temper, Rabada has opened up saying that it’s his passions for playing the sport for his country which results in such moments.

However, according to Rabada, he has identified things which one needs to identify and he has been planning to work on it with people who are closest to the speedster.

I have identified things and I’ll address them: Kagiso Rabada

“It’s passion, but everyone has their opinion and they are entitled to their own opinion,” Rabada said as quoted by ESPN.

“I have identified things that I needed to identify and I will address them with the people that are closest to me and who I feel should be helping me address it,” he added.

Despite the criticism, Rabada said that he is unperturbed by it. One will always have a lot of critics but it shouldn’t affect an individual, according to the pacer. “Everyone will always criticise you in some way. It’s important that you don’t take what people say to heart,” Rabada said.

“You will always have a lot of critics. Not everyone will agree with what you do. As long as you are true to yourself you can grow. What other people say about you shouldn’t affect you at all,” he added.

The 2019-20 season was a season to forget for Rabada, according to his own high standards. He admitted that he was rusty and a bit out of place.

“The past season was a disappointment. Even though I see that my stats are okay, I just felt really rusty and a bit out of place,” admitted Rabada.