Ace South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has begun his second IPL season with Delhi franchise well, taking 11 wickets to edge ahead in the race for Purple Cap. The 23-year-old discusses challenges faced by his team, the famed Indian fast bowling attack and competing with the best in the international circuit. Excerpts:

How challenging is playing for the Delhi Capitals, given the team’s past performances and pressure in the current season?

It is important to let go of the past. What we identified was that we were lacking in the ability to finish games — I experienced that when I came to the IPL first and also in a few games this season. Our core is young, but some of us have also played international cricket — like me, Rishabh (Pant), Shreyas (Iyer). The key is to forget the past and learn from the mistakes we have made in the past.

How different is bowling in T20Is compared to bowling in IPL?

It is just that the set of players is different. Otherwise, the intensity is the same, whether you are playing for your country or your franchise.

How is it being in the same camp as experienced bowlers like Ishant Sharma and Trent Boult?

I think our bowling unit is tremendous. Trent is one of the best in the world, Morris offers X-factor and Ishant has done tremendously for India all these years. It is a very potent bowling unit especially when you add our spinners, like Sandeep Lamichhane, in the mix.

How do you rate the current Indian bowling line-up?

India have a great bowling line-up at the moment and have had some superb results recently. Having said that, I think most teams have great bowling line-ups. It is tough to single out one bowler or one team. And that is why I think the World Cup in England is going to be so exciting.

You finished second to Virat Kohli in the ICC Awards for Cricketer of the Year and Test player of the year.

Well, these things are secondary for me, to be honest. My focus is always on improving my skills as much as possible and contributing to my team’s win.

How do you see yourself going into the World Cup?

The IPL is a preparatory tournament for the World Cup. You play in high pressure and it prepares you mentally. As far as South Africa are concerned, well, we have a young unit that I believe has the potential to win the World Cup. Not many of them have been to the World Cup before, and I think that is actually a good thing.

First Published: Apr 09, 2019 09:13 IST