Mumbai Indians may have endured a nightmarish Indian Premier League (IPL) season with a wooden spoon finish, but uncapped South African batter Dewald Brevis made his presence felt in his debut spell in the Indian T20 league. The 19-year-old notched up 161 runs in seven matches for five-time champions, who bought him for ₹3 crore in the mega auction earlier this year. (Also Read | 'We reserve high praise for a player, then he disappears after 1 year...': Kapil gives verdict on Umran's India call-up)
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It's no secret that Brevis, who made headlines during the Under-19 World Cup 2022, goes by the name “Baby AB” due to resemblances in the batting styles of the youngster and AB de Villiers. Brevis was the leading run-getter in the ICC tournament with 506 runs in six matches at an average of 84.33. He is being seen as a future superstar, thanks to his ability to hit innovative big shots like his older compatriot.
Brevis has given a treat to his fans as shared a picture alongside de Villiers on his official Instagram account. "What a special evening," wrote the promising star. Mumbai Indians also shared the photo with the caption, "AB 🤝 DB. Looking sharp."Fans were quick to react, with one writing, "Future and past of 360 batting".MI commented, "Truly special" on Brevis' post.
Earlier, Brevis, who capped off the IPL with a crucial 37 off 33 deliveries in Mumbai's win over Delhi Capitals, had shared his thoughts on de Villiers.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Brevis, who capped off the IPL with a crucial 37 off 33 deliveries in Mumbai's win over Delhi Capitals, had shared his thoughts on de Villiers.
{{/usCountry}}"Yes look, you're always growing up idolising him, really watch him on TV or next to the field. Ya, I have met him before a few times, met him at my school, he also attended the same school. So, just to get to know him, he is such a great human being and to learn from him he gives more pieces of advice and he is really one of the best. Having him as a mentor is special to me," the 19-year-old had said during his interaction with Tilak Varma.
In the initial phase of the expanded 10-team IPL edition, Brevis had shared how the South African batting icon has played a big role in his career so far. The young batter revealed getting tips from de Villiers.
"He's played a big role, it's a special relationship. He teaches me small things that help me a lot. It's about my mindset, and the way to play the game & tells me to keep it simple with thinking about the game and also with small technical things which he helps me a lot with. Playing with aggression is important but also to just keep calm in certain situations and to now see how next game goes."