Rabada, the man who wasn't there

He's the man who's always there. Until he isn't. More than one player's responsibility for bowling teams to victory rests on his lithe, sleek frame. Except when he is sat watching others bowl. His coach marked him out this week as the only star in the squad. But not even stars can shine in the dark of the dressing room.

"We're a team without any superstars," Shukri Conrad said on Wednesday, before revising his opinion. "Maybe one. The obvious one: Rabada."

By then Conrad would have known of the rib injury that would rule Kagiso Rabada out of the Eden Park Test, which started on Friday. Such is the worth of the fast bowler to South Africa's cause that he wasn't removed from the selectorial equation until he failed a fitness test even as his teammates warmed up for the match.

How much would South Africa miss their ace? It was right and proper that Ashwell Prince, the batting coach, was sent to the post-play press conference. His charges were dismissed for 159 in three overs more than two sessions by classy bowling on a challenging pitch. But it was just as correct that Prince should be asked about Rabada – the man who wasn't there was, from South Africa's perspective, the headline story.

"KG is a world class bowler, probably one of the top two or three seam bowlers in the world," Prince said. "We've seen what damage one of the other best seam bowlers in the world could do today. He'll definitely be missed on that surface, because it's aiding the fast bowlers."

That other fast bowler is Jasprit Bumrah, officially the world No. 1. Among the quicks, Rabada is behind only him and Pat Cummins. On Friday it wasn't difficult to see why Bumrah was on top of the pile.

He ended South Africa's well-set opening stand of 57 with a pearler that straightened enough to beat Ryan Rickelton's bat and nail his off stump. Four of his deliveries later, Bumrah produced a black mamba of a ball that leapt off a length and took the shoulder of Aiden Markram's bat on its way into the gloves of a flying Rishabh Pant.

Thus cracked open the South Africans, who chose to bat, couldn't put themselves back together again. They lost all 10 wickets for 102 runs and the last five of them for 13. Mohammad Siraj came back from a flat first spell to trap Kyle Verreynne in front and bowl Marco Jansen in the same over. Kuldeep Yadav found sharp turn both ways and earned the quality wickets of Temba Bavuma and Wiaan Mulder. Bumrah returned to wrap up a scintillating haul of 5/27.

"It was a sensational bowling display, particularly from Bumrah," Prince said. "Sometimes as batters there's not a lot you can do about good deliveries. But we've got to work hard. There's a long way to go in the game and hopefully we'll be better in the second innings."

Hopefully indeed. When fading light forced an early close India were 123 runs away from the lead at the sole cost of Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket and KL Rahul and Washington Sundar solid and patient.

The visitors' bowlers will hope for as much help from the pitch as India's enjoyed.

"In the first over [of South Africa's innings] one ball rolled and went for four byes, then two or three balls reared up," Prince said. "I don't believe any of our batters grew in confidence because of the inconsistent bounce. You don't trust the surface as much as you should after spending an hour at the crease.

"And when you face a quality attack they can more often than not get the ball into the danger area and it does too much for you."

Markram looked like a million dollars for his 31, and Rickelton, Mulder and Tony de Zorzi all ventured into the 20s. Together they scored almost two thirds of the total.

How Rabada must have hoped, as he watched Bumrah wreck the innings in rasping conditions, that he could be out there, too. Like he is more often than not.

From his international debut, in a T20I against Australia in Adelaide in November 2014, Rabada has played in 249 of South Africa's 408 matches. That's 61.03%. He has featured in 73 of their 91 Tests – a whopping 80.22% – 106 of their 177 ODIs – or 59.89% – and exactly half of their 140 T20Is.

Rabada has missed fewer Tests than 293 of his 373 compatriots who reached that level each played for South Africa. Their ranks include eight of the 15 members of the current squad.

He is the man who is always there. Almost. No-one has bowled more test overs for South Africa during his career than Rabada's 2,239.2. Or taken more wickets in that time than his 340. Or, among those who have played at least 10 Tests, at a better average than his 22.03.

You don't need to know any of those numbers, or even know much about cricket, to know you are watching greatness as he glides towards the bowling crease. Some players have more confidence than they can use. Many have international-level talent, and probably even more have the skill required to make their efforts count. But rare are those who have all that and also bring Rabada's level of presence to a cricket ground, or anywhere else he might grace.

He is a unicorn among South Africa's black players in that he has never had his blackness used against him by being labelled a quota cricketer. We are cursed in our country with too many world-class racists, but even they know a world-class fast bowler when they see one.

While Rabada is about as orthodox in how he goes about his art as he could safely be without disappearing into the pages of a coaching manual, Bumrah is a celebration of beautiful weirdness. How he manages to untangle his convincing impression of the Statue of Liberty as he hurtles towards the crease and bowl as superbly as he does is a thing of wonder.

Only R Ashwin took more Test wickets for India during Bumrah's career – two more. Only Axar Patel has a better average than Bumrah's 19.52, but he has only 15 caps. Even so, Bumrah is not India's Rabada.

He has played in only 50 of a possible 102 Tests, 89 of 174 ODIs and 80 of 202 T20Is. Those percentages are 49.02, 51.15 and 39.60. Or 45.82% across the formats. Injuries have played their role, which is unsurprising considering his spiralling corkscrew of an action.

Imagine the joy of having more Bumrah to watch. Not having Rabada to watch at Eden Park is the opposite. Happily, Guwahati awaits.