Kagiso Rabada, who missed South Africa's tour of India which was eventually abandoned midway owing to the coronavirus pandemic, said on Friday that he "would've been ready for the IPL [Indian Premier League] in March."
The 13th edition of the cash-rich T20 tournament has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but many believe that all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will find one way or another to make it happen in 2020.
“I would’ve 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,” he said during an Instagram LIVE session.
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Having injured his groin earlier this year, Rabada was sidelined and did not take the flight to India for the high-profile series.
"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," Rabada added.
The right-arm fast bowler took 25 wickets in 12 games for Delhi Capitals in the 2019 IPL season but had to leave midway due to an injury.
The 25-year-old also spoke about how he has been keeping himself busy during the coronavirus-forced lockdown.
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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. 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," Rabada said.
Widely regarded as one of the best fast bowlers around, Rabada was in high spirits on Friday evening as he interacted with the Delhi Capitals' fans via an Instagram LIVE session.
The seamer spoke on a variety of topics, including reminiscing his early U-19 days, and how he is spending his time during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in South Africa.
"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 shared.
Regarding the on-going talks on resuming cricket without fans, the South African 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."
The young bowler also shared his take on people's perception of him.
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"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," said the World No. 5 ODI and Test bowler.
Replying to a fan's question on what qualities he would want to have from other fast bowlers, Rabada said, "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!"
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Signing off, he also mentioned former greats 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," Rabada said.
