Since he made his debut in international cricket at the age of 19 in 2014, Kagiso Rabada has put in many impressive performances and established himself as one of the finest fast bowlers in the world at the moment.
The 25-year-old South African has played 43 Test matches, 75 One-Day Internationals and 24 T20Is and has taken 197, 117 and 30 wickets respectively in the three formats. The right-arm pacer had taken 25 wickets in 12 matches for DC in the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with a stunning average of 14.72. His yorker to dismiss Andre Russell was hailed by Sourav Ganguly as the ball of IPL.
In a live conversation on Instagram with IPL franchise Delhi Capitals on Saturday, Rabada shared his views on a number of topics:
Ready for IPL...
I would have been ready for the IPL in March. I had a tear in my groin, but I healed quite quickly, and believed I would have been able to play the IPL if it had started as scheduled. I was really looking forward to it, especially after last season’s performance which was, no doubt, a huge motivator for all of us. It was also by far the most enjoyable season I’ve been part of.
Training during lockdown...
I haven’t had the chance to bowl yet or use the cricket facilities, but professional athletes are now allowed to use gyms here in South Africa, so I’m just doing enough to keep myself going. But I’m also really pleased that I’ve had such a long break from cricket after five years of continuous competition. I’ve really found it to be very relaxing.
I’ve kept myself busy creatively. I’ve been working with a friend on a podcast called The Viral Wellness, where we get experts to come and talk about wellness – physical, mental, educational – and both of us just try and have some fun with the script.
Aggression as a pacer...
A lot of people think I have a short temper. The thing is that sledging is a part of the game. No fast bowler is going to be nice to a batsman. But what we need to understand is that it’s never personal. After the game, you shake hands, respect each other’s craft and move on.
Playing in empty stadiums...
It’s going to be bizarre to play in empty stadiums, especially during international matches. But the world has to move on. There will still be tough competition when teams play, and people can still enjoy that on TV.
Dream bowler...
If I had to become a bowler by combining the best of all fast bowlers of all time, I’d pick the pace of Shoaib Akhtar; the bounce, line and length of Glenn McGrath; the aggression of Dale Steyn, and the swing of Jimmy Anderson – that’s the bowler I would love to be.
Favourite batsman to bowl to...
I think Kevin Pietersen, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards and Ricky Ponting would be the batsmen I would love to bowl to.
Watch Rabada’s full interview with Delhi Capitals here:
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