In the absence of Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada will have a massive responsibility in helping South Africa do well with the ball in the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is slated to begin on October 5. Ahead of that, the South African contingent has already reached India and will be playing a couple of warm-up matches against Afghanistan and New Zealand. Notably, they will begin their World Cup campaign on October 7 against Sri Lanka at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Meanwhile, talking about their preparation, Rabada stated that he is very familiar with the Indian conditions and it will help him and the team to form the tactics. Courtesy of the Indian Premier League, a lot of Proteas cricketers have played in India previously and hence, they are expected to understand the conditions better. Meanwhile, the ace pacer also added that he will share his experience with other players in the dressing room who haven’t played in India before.
“It does help when you understand the conditions in the various grounds, and having played in India for all these years, it gives you a familiarity on how to go about your tactics. The majority of our team has played in India, but for those who haven’t played as much, it is important to share experiences. In India you have drier conditions and they are batter-friendly wickets, so it’s about finding ways to be successful,” Rabada was quoted as saying by iol.co.za.
Managing the noise and distractions is really important: Rabada
Rabada understands that there’s immense pressure on him this time around and the fans will try to make themselves heard throughout the course of the tournament. Hence, the cricketer mentioned that the team will try their best to manage the noise and distraction to focus on their game. Having played in India before, Rabada understands that the fans can get too loud in the sub-continent but he also views this as an honour.
“Managing the noise and distractions is really important and I think it’s just about focus and not letting the crowd get to you. But at the same time, it is exciting to be playing in packed stadiums with tens of thousands of screaming fans – it’s an honour,” the 28-year-old added.