South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada re-united with his Delhi Capitals’ teammates here on Friday as they prepare to take on the Mumbai Indians in their first match of the Indian Premier League season which takes place at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, 24th March 2019. The 23-year-old arrived in the country after helping his national team beat Sri Lanka 5-0 in the recently concluded ODI series, but is looking forward to playing a crucial part in the JSW and GMR co-owned franchise’s revival this season.
“I think we have put together a great squad this time around. It is a fairly young squad and I feel there’s a good mixture of overseas players along with the Indian players. We have some very exciting spinners as well along with good batsmen. Of course, the pace bowling is going to be one of our strengths and I am really looking forward to playing a part in my team’s success this season,” said Rabada.
He continued, “We know that the name of the franchise has changed and we will be playing in new colors. We have a new slate with new goals on it and I am excited to see how Delhi Capitals is growing to progress this season. What is essential is that it’s a fairly young team that has kind of stuck together through a couple of seasons, and is now growing together to get valuable experience. I think we have the potential to be a powerhouse in the future.”
Rabada, ranked 3rd in ICC Test Rankings, and 5th in ICC ODI Rankings is keen on teaming up with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Trent Boult and Chris Morris among others. He said, “We are quite a strong unit. We have always had a good pace bowling attack since I have been here but this year it’s a little bit different as we have added in some depth which shall help us in being even more effective as a unit.”
Speaking on the need for consistency, Rabada said that he believes T20 is more about making correct decisions on the spot. “Of course the margin for error is getting lesser as both batsmen and bowlers have become more skilled. But I feel in T20 cricket, you don’t need as much consistency as you need in the longer formats. In T20 cricket, you need to weight up your options and make certain choices which have more changes of going your way. You have to act quickly in T20 cricket and yes whatever you want to bowl, you have to be clear in your mind and give it your best shot.”
The young South African has been embraced by Delhi’s fans since he’s been with the franchise, and he had a message for them ahead of the crucial season. “I would like to thank all the Delhi Capitals’ fans for the support they have shown the team and myself. I hope that this season they make Kotla the loudest stadium in the country and I am looking forward to seeing them in huge numbers at the stadium, to have a lot of fun because that is what we are here to provide them with.”