South African youngster Dewald Brevis was picked by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction after his brilliant display in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup. In the IPL, Brevis showed why he is so highly rated with some quickfire knocks. The 19-year-old scored 161 runs in seven matches at an impressive strike rate of 142.48, with a highest score of 49. Brevis, in an exclusive chat with NDTV, spoke about his experience in the IPL with Mumbai Indians, what it felt like meeting legends like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni and much more.
“The IPL was such a great experience. We all know it is the biggest T20 league in the world. The MI team atmosphere was amazing on and off the field. There was always lots of fun, laughter and bonding between everyone in the MI family. It is such a great honour for me to be part of MI,” Brevis told NDTV.
“At first I was overwhelmed meeting the likes of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. I learnt a lot by just listening and speaking to them,” he said.
He said that despite being picked in the IPL at such a young age and before he even made his international debut, he did not feel he was under pressure.
“For me as a player, I like playing under pressure. I did not feel any pressure going into the IPL. I am true to myself and my game. I stay in the moment and I cut all the noise around me. I am going out on the field to enjoy it,” he said.
He mentioned that he had spoken to Protea legend AB de Villiers, after whom he has been nicknamed ‘Baby AB’, after he got picked in the auction.
“My relationship with AB is special and I don’t talk a lot about it. We had conversations after being picked in the auction,” he said.
He also said he got valuable advice over the course of the season from the likes of his Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Mahela Jayawardene.
“It has been an honour spending time with these legends. They gave me small pieces of advice that helped to improve my game, especially on the mental side,” Brevis said.
For MI, it was a disappointing campaign, as they finished at the bottom of the points table. Brevis himself was shifted in and out of the team.
However, he said that the team was constantly focused on following the same processes and that the atmosphere was such that he felt welcome and comfortable at all times.
“We as a team stuck together and kept following the same processes by training and preparing the same way through the whole tournament. MI made me feel part of the family. I felt so welcome and comfortable in this team. I could be myself in front of everyone,” he said.
He also spoke about who the funniest teammate in the franchise.
“I really enjoyed spending time with everyone off the field. There is so much fun stuff to do off the field and in the team room. I really enjoyed spending time with Tilak (Varma) and over the past few months our friendship became stronger. And without a doubt Tilak is the funniest of all,” he said.
Brevis also came up against the Indian team that won the 2022 U-19 World Cup. The team featured some impressive players like captain Yash Dhull and all-rounders Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Raj Bawa among others.
Brevis noted Hangargekar as one from the batch with the talent to “go to the next level”.
Promoted
“There was a bunch of great players in the India Under-19 team. Rajvardhan Hangargekar was one of the players that stood out for me with his all-round ability to bowl pace and his ball striking. I think he has the potential to go to the next level,” he said.
“He is also a great person and the two of us spent a lot of time off the field,” Brevis added.
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