Kagiso Rabada on Friday (June 5) got the chance to interact with his fans via an Instagram live for Delhi Capitals (DC), his franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
During the interaction, the South African pacer talked on a range of topics, explaining firstly how much he is craving a return to training and on-field action, having been away from the game since early this year because of a groin injury overlapped by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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"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," said Rabada.
"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."
He wasn't picked for the tour of India mid-March, but Rabada says he was backing himself to be ready for IPL 2020, due to originally kickstart at the end of that month, but currently suspended because of the pandemic.
"I would've been ready for the IPL in March. I had a tear in my groin, but it healed quite quickly, and believed I would have been able to play the IPL if it had started as scheduled."
"It was something I was really looking forward to, 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," added the fast bowler, who turned 25 in May.
Rabada, meanwhile, also revealed names of the batting greats from the past he would've loved to bowl to.
"I think Kevin Pietersen, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards and Ricky Ponting would be the batsmen I would love to bowl to," he said.
Such a long break must be frustrating for Rabada in a lot of ways, but he has kept himself busy even at home by doing a podcast with his friend.
"I've kept myself busy creatively. I've been working on a podcast called The Viral Wellness, with a friend, 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," he said.
On talks of cricket's resumption behind closed doors, Rabada said: "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."
Rabada, who has missed Test matches in his career because of breaching ICC's code of conduct after giving angry send-offs to batsmen, also replied to a query regarding his temper.
"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 the batsman. But what we need to understand is that it's never personal. After the game, you shake hands, respect each other's crafts and move on," he concluded.
(Inputs from IANS)
