“When we get on to the field, we will fight tooth and nail,” said Kagiso Rabada, ahead of South Africa’s first World Cup encounter against Australia on the 23rd of October.
Rabada was a part of the U-19 team led by Aiden Markram that won the World Cup in the UAE in 2014. “This is obviously a lot of good memories from the U-19 World Cup, so it would be great to replicate that with the senior team,” said Rabada.
If South Africa end up winning this World Cup, Rabada believes it would be his greatest achievement on the sporting field. “It would probably be my biggest life achievement in sport,” Rabada said.
Rabada is confident that if the team plays to potential, South Africa can beat any opposition. “If we apply ourselves and play well, we can beat anyone on the day.” Having won T20 series in the West Indies, Ireland, and Sri Lanka over the last four months, the South African camp is confident of carrying its good form into the World Cup.
Rabada is unfazed by South Africa’s reputation at ICC tournaments because he believes it is more important to focus on the present. “I don’t actually even like to talk about the baggage. What happened in the past happened in the past. I don’t want to talk about it too much. We have a challenge that’s in front of us.”
On a personal note, Rabada represented the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and has acclimated to the conditions on offer. Given that he played in all the games in the UAE leg of the tournament, Rabada is comfortable with his preparation. His focus, now, is on “locking in and executing game plans.”
