NEW DELHI: South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has voiced the team's resolute determination to seize victory in the upcoming Men's ODI World Cup in India. He emphasised that the team remains unfazed by external chatter.
Having been a pivotal part of the South African squad that secured victory in the inaugural 2014 Men's U19 Cricket World Cup in the UAE, alongside his current senior teammates Aiden Markram and Andile Phehlukwayo, Rabada's ambitions are set on achieving similar glory at the highest level. Despite his swift rise in the international cricket arena, Rabada has yet to achieve major tournament success with the senior South African men's team.
"All this drama outside about South African cricket and World Cups...we're not paying attention to it really. Having been to World Cups and not winning silverware, it's disappointing ... I won't lie," he said.
"I'm willing to make it happen, we're all willing to make it happen. Winning a World Cup is something that I would love to do. It's something every player that's in the set-up would love to do. The only thing going there, once the squad is announced, is to win it," Rabada was quoted as saying by iol.co.za.
Rabada, who was last seen in cricketing action for MI New York during the inaugural MCL in the USA, is working on polishing his skills and was a part of the recent Proteas camp, which happened in Durban last month.
"We had a camp in Durban, and we just came off a camp in Pretoria. We see really good things coming out of these camps, and we have another one coming up just before the series against Australia."
"The (World Cup) squad hasn't been announced yet, but the guys are really eager. We can't wait to go there. Whoever is chosen, I'm sure everyone can't wait to go and play some competitive cricket. This process, I've thoroughly enjoyed it personally. I'm looking forward to keeping going on with the process and just being competitive."
Asked about managing his workload ahead of the Men's ODI World Cup, Rabada said, "It's important to identify periods of rest because there's so much cricket happening at the moment."
"You don't want to go to the World Cup overcooked...You don't want to go to the World Cup or any series undercooked or overcooked. It's about finding the right balance."
In the run-up to the Men's ODI World Cup, South Africa will play three T20Is against Australia, before playing five ODIs against the five-time World Cup winners. Rabada, who has 137 scalps in 89 games, feels the series against Australia will be a perfect way to see where they stand as an ODI side.
"We've challenged the way we want to play; we've challenged how we want to get better as a unit. Australia will be perfect practice to see where we are with that, and to continue making tweaks."
(With inputs from IANS)
