Rabada confirmed to return as his aura drives Proteas

South Africa have predicted Kagiso Rabada will be driven by his past heroics against Australia as he prepares to return from a hamstring tear in Gqeberha.

Rabada has been declared fit to start the second Test against Australia on Sunday, which will mark his first game since the end of the IPL in May.

The right-armer has the second best record of any quick against Australia this century, with his 58 wickets at 21.39 behind only India's Jasprit Bumrah.

"He'll obviously feed off the performances that he's had against Australia," captain Temba Bavuma said.

"The bowlers, they feed massively over him. He leads the attack in everything that he does. And then I think he brings an extra level of confidence to the unit.

"You mentioned the aura. There's a lot of belief in KG, and a lot of the guys rub off there.

Bavuma stressed that it was important for the Proteas to not put too much of an expectation on Rabada, after their 214-run loss in the series opener.

South Africa will wait until Sunday to decide their final side, with rain predicted for the opening day and both teams preparing for a shortened Test.

The hosts will weigh up whether to again go with two spinners in Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, as they accommodate Rabada into the team.

Rabada has charged in at training this week and bowled quickly, as has Anrich Nortje, after there were initial concerns during the Durban Test over his ability to back up.

Nortje took four wickets in Durban, which was his first first-class game since March 2023.

The Proteas have already confirmed Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne will be dropped, with Marques Ackerman and Matthew Breetzke expected to come in.

Ryan Rickelton will keep wicket after Verreynne's axing, and likely drop down the order after opening in Durban.