‘I'll never be ‘Mr-I-apologise' too much': Kagiso Rabada on recent drug suspension
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has opened up on his recent one-month suspension for recreational drug use, confirming that he has cleared the air as much as possible with his national teammates and is willing to discuss the incident further if required ahead of their maiden ICC World Test Championship final in London in the second week of June.
Rabada had served out a month's suspension in April, following which the South African Institute for Drug Free Sports (SAIDS) said that he had completed a one-month ban and had also completed an education and awareness programme to prevent further substance abuse.
'I think I owe it to them [to talk about what happened] – they're my team-mates,' Rabada told reporters when asked about speaking to the squad about his suspension. 'We've come from so far, you know, and to my closest people I owe it to them.
'Look, this is not an ideal situation. I don't need too many pats on the back here. I'm going to be joining with them again. I've already spoken to them and I guess we can do so in more detail when we get together for an extended amount of time.'
Featuring in the IPL 2025 season with the Gujarat Titans, the 30-year-old Rabada decided to fly back home at the end of March to serve out the suspension and relieve the burden on himself as much as possible. He returned in May to feature in two more games for the Titans.
'It led me to a bit of introspection about myself, and I took some time away from the game,' he said. 'I think the biggest thing I took away from it is having gratitude for playing the game that we love. I'm just glad to be playing again… the process was handled really well,' Rabada added without divulging details of the banned substance that he had tested positive for in January during the SA20 competition.
'The decision to come back early [from the IPL] was brilliant, and that's a decision that I made,' Rabada said. 'I could have tried to contest it and whatnot, but coming home was the best option, and I was in good hands. All the parties that were involved made the whole process smooth.
While Rabada repents the situation, South Africa's pace spearhead added that he wouldn't be excessively apologetic about the incident.
As you would have seen in my statement there are some people who would have been disappointed. And to those people I'm deeply sorry,' Rabada said. 'The people closest to me are the ones I felt I let down.
'But life moves on. I'll never be 'Mr-I-Apologise' too much. But I'll never condone that action.'
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