No matter what the weather, something Dale Steyn can never be accused of is being a wet blanket. Though he is not taking part in the Bangalore Test, he has used the time off to send messages of love to his "kids," (four dogs), to run a survey asking supporters what they would like to see more of on his social media feed, film his team-mates playing one-hand-one-bounce in the change room and spend time in the one place the rain has not reached: the gym.
On Monday, South Africa's physio Brandon Jackson tweeted a picture of Steyn's furious fists beating out his frustration on fitness trainer Greg Kings' gloved hands, while Morne Morkel and Simon Harmer ran on treadmills in the background. Steyn was not doing the literal legwork, which may raise some concerns about his readiness for the Nagpur Test, a match South Africa will be desperate to have him back for, given his previous show-stopping appearance in the city and the likelihood that the series could still be won by the time they get there.
It would unprecedented for Steyn to sit out a second successive match and despite no clear signs yet that he will play, South Africa are certain to try every means possible to ensure he does. In fact, even Steyn sitting out this Test was a big deal. This is the first time he has missed a Test in six years since he sat out the first match against England in late 2009 after pulling up stiff on the morning of the game.
Before that, Steyn had played 32 matches over five years with the conditioning of a classy hair product. Unlike other bowlers, whose actions could cause awkwardness and result in stress fractures, Steyn's movements were smooth and his joints, supple. Since then, Steyn has played 48 matches without interruption but not always without incident.
In the last two years, since turning 30, Steyn has been injured eight times. Half of them have been hamstring problems and a quarter groin issues. Given the high-octane levels Steyn operates at, amateur diagnoses and South Africa's management of Steyn - which has seen him rested for some bilateral series - may put it down to wear and tear.
Jacques Kallis went through something similar in the twilight of his career. He began sitting out more and more limited-over matches but still experienced more and more mid-series and even mid-match injuries. Kallis was 37. Steyn is only 32 but his intensity is higher and the amount of cricket he plays, IPL included, is probably greater. Given how many cricketers are calling it quits earlier than expected - Graeme Smith was 33, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, 34 - the wide lens may tell Cricket South Africa to start thinking about a succession plan for Steyn.
Their starting point will have to be the understanding that replacing Steyn - the man, the bowler and the character - will be impossible. Few places will possess a bowler with the skills Steyn has and fewer will have a player who can who can switch on and off the way Steyn does. South Africa will have to look for similar qualities sprinkled among different players.
Kagiso Rabada offers pace and aggression and will need to gain experience, while Kyle Abbott can swing the ball but may have to master the art of to reverse swing. Developing Abbott should be high on South Africa's agenda, especially after Worcestershire announced that they had "swooped," to sign him for the second half of the 2016 English season.
If Abbott is given a visa and no-objection certificate from CSA, he will play for the county from the July to September, effectively ruling him out of the two Tests against New Zealand next August. CSA will probably not want to let Abbott go for those matches because, even though he is not among the premier quicks now, he may be in the near future and a home series will be the ideal place to groom him.
Outside the current squad, there is Marchant de Lange - quick but occasionally inconsistent - Beuran Hendricks - who has suffered a spate of injuries in recent months and Hardus Viljoen - who considered leaving for New Zealand this summer before being convinced not to. The domestic first-class competition for this season has not started, but this summer will be particularly important in determining positions in the pecking order among these players as South Africa try to avoid finding themselves at sea the day Steyn sets sail.