Kagiso Rabada after Test win in Pakistan: 'Definitely one of the highlights in my career'

Other than a 2-0 clean-sweep against Bangladesh away from home last year, the Proteas have found little joy when playing in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka in recent years.

The conditions are very different to those in South Africa, with Rabada operating in a two-man seam attack in the two Test matches against Pakistan alongside three spinners.

Rabada now has 73 Test appearances and taken 340 wickets in the format and says the Proteas were prepared to do the "dirty work" following their eight-wicket victory in Rawalpindi.

The fast bowler told reporters: "This victory is definitely one of the highlights in my career.

"Winning a Test match outside of Bangladesh in the subcontinent. I think that's pretty awesome. It definitely gives the guys a lot of confidence.

"Also, it's a pretty young team and a young team that wants to go out and do the dirty work."

Rabada's major contribution in the series came with the bat, hitting his maiden half-century when scoring a crucial 71 in the first innings of the second Test.

The 30-year-old's innings featured four sixes with his runs coming off only 61 deliveries in a 98-run partnership with Senuran Muthusamy on a pitch that favoured the slow-bowlers.

"We wanted to be aggressive in the way that we played," Rabada said. "Because if you just sit around waiting for a bad ball, you're probably going to get a good ball that gets you out.

"It was important that the batting unit could establish the shots that they wanted to play to put the opposition under pressure and that they start putting fielders back and then you can start rotating the strike."

While he has been the spearhead of the Proteas bowling attack for many years, Rabada was content to play the supporting role in the subcontinent.

The paceman then reserved special praise for the Proteas' trio of spinners - Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer - who all took five-wicket hauls across the two Tests.

Rabada added: "If you're a fast bowler and nothing's happening for you, it's about keeping the game quiet or finding a wicket here and there and applying pressure by slowing the rate down.

"It's about running and giving it your all. "You can still create pressure for the spinners, so they do their job much better. It doesn't help if we are leaking everywhere and not necessarily bowling correctly. 

"Not many rewards came my way, but I was more than happy to do the job that I did. We came here with brilliant spinners and you saw the way that they performed. That was a really massive tick."