Having endured the low of a drugs ban and experienced the high of a long-awaited ICC title during a roller-coaster year, South Africa and Gujarat Titans pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada says he has grown to become nonchalant about criticism.

Rabada missed a majority of last year's IPL to serve a one-month ban for cocaine abuse. But he bounced back within weeks in June 2025 to be a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) title-winning South African team.

"What I learned from that is not to take people's opinion seriously. Not to take the world, not to take things too seriously. Sometimes things are blown out of proportion. Sometimes things just get hyped out of proportion," Rabada told PTI in an interview.

"The things that really matter to you. All of those people who are close to you. How you feel about yourself. That's really what I learned in a nutshell. That you're not going to make everyone happy. And that you shouldn't try to make everyone happy. Just remember who you are," he said.

The 30-year-old, who is inching close to 600 international wickets across formats, could not play the away Test series against India due a rib bone injury in December last year.

South Africa created history by hammering India in their own backyard 2-0 last November.

Currently, Rabada is bowling thunderbolts in the IPL, regularly clocking 150kmph, and is among the leading wicket-takers with 21 scalps.

International cricket over MLC and Hundred after IPL

Rabada is among the few leading international players who feature across formats.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to be available in all three formats with the amount of cricket going on around the world.

In a packed cricketing calendar, Rabada sees the need to find more rest phases to stay injury-free.

"Yes, my body is feeling pretty decent, I must say. Touchwood. Continuing to try and stay on top of things, not letting things build up and cause unnecessary headaches in the future. It's just about not taking things for granted and that's what I'm trying to do.

"There's no real change in fitness regime. Just when you get older you have to work a lot more on smaller things. I've always been someone who works really hard," he said.

Is picking and choosing the way forward to play all formats? "Picking and choosing, I don't think that's the right phrase that I would like to use. I think the right phrase I would like to use is just being wise around what I'm playing and when." With a busy Test season at home involving Australia and England and the ODI World Cup later in 2027, Rabada decided to give franchise leagues like Major League Cricket and The Hundred a miss this year.

"You're looking at a year of planning. So there's other leagues that we can play like MLC, the Hundred. And for me it's sacrificing those and not playing those to get ready for international cricket," Rabada added.