If ever there were a time for the left-hander to have qualms, it is surely now, with the Proteas touring his adopted country and set to play in the second Test against England at his new home Headingley Carnegie ground today.

Rudolph is certainly good enough to command a place in the tourists' top-order – his first-class average since joining Yorkshire is 58.38. He was just 25 when he signed as a Kolpak player, taking himself out of the South African reckoning. He was already the veteran of 35 Tests and yet to reach his peak as a batsman – a Test average of 36.21 does not do justice to his ability.

Only the most deluded Tyke would consider county cricket to be a step up from Test level, but the 27-year-old is perfectly content with his choice.

"I've got no regrets," said Rudolph, who is committed to Yorkshire until 2011 and who could qualify for England under residency rules by 2012. "There are no hard feelings."

He is not desperately keen to go through the reasons behind his decision, which has been the subject of much discussion in South Africa.

Rudolph, who played all five Tests on the last tour here in 2003, was frequently the victim of the Proteas' desire to introduce more non-white players into their teams.

Twice, his Test debut was put on hold by board-level interference after he had been named in the XI, with 'quota' batsmen parachuted in ahead of him. By 2006, he was often overlooked despite his combination of experience and promise.

The feeling was that he would have to play not just slightly better than his non-white rivals, but considerably better.

"At that stage of my career, I felt I needed stability and security," said Rudolph diplomatically. "I was in and out of the South Africa side and it was creating a lot of stress for me and my family.

"For that reason, I signed for Yorkshire. It was a great opportunity and I think I'm in a much better position at the moment."

He is giving little away about his plans for the future beyond 2011, if he has made any, but says he has ruled nothing out.

He said: "Will I play for South Africa again? There's a possibility. I've got three more seasons on my Yorkshire contract after this one and after that, I could qualify for England. I'll make a decision on that if and when I get there. At the moment, I'm just enjoying my Yorkshire career."

Rudolph does not give the impression that he sits up all night comparing himself favourably to the Proteas' top-six – even though three of them, including two 'whites', average less than 40 in Tests.

There were four South African centurions in the first Test at Lord's and Rudolph is complimentary about the whole team.

"You can't take anything away from South Africa's batting," he said. "I still take an interest in this series, of course I do. I'm friendly with some of the younger guys in the team.

"A little bit of me wants South Africa to win. I played for them for so many years, and you don't just change overnight.

"England will take a lot out of the first Test – a lot of people expected South Africa to roll them over. This will be a wake-up call for South Africa and I think they will hit the ground better at Headingley.

"They are renowned for their character and their ability to fight back, and they showed that at Lord's in the second innings.

"We haven't seen the best of the South African attack. Dale Steyn has had an unbelievable couple of years. I think Headingley will suit them better than Lord's, and Morne Morkel should be able to give them some insight from his time at Yorkshire."