It’s a proud moment for a player when a youngster terms him as the idol and has looked up to you all their life. One such moment took place in the ‘T20 Timeout’ Show that was hosted by ESPNCricinfo. Dale Steyn and Aakash Chopra were the two experts who were involved in the show. And, during the show, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler, Shivam Mavi called Dale Steyn his idol.
Mavi has asserted that he had followed Steyn ever since he started playing cricket. He also added that he used to follow Steyn and learn how to bowl. Mavi said that even though he also learns from other bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as well, his idol has always been Dale Steyn.
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During the show, Shivam Mavi said, “Ever since I began playing the sport, I used to follow Dale Steyn very closely. When I started bowling, I used to be able to bowl outswingers and I used to follow Dale Steyn while trying to learn how to bowl. I follow the tactics of some other bowlers too, such as Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar, but my idol has always been Dale Steyn.”
After hearing this, Dale Steyn became emotional as he stated that Mavi’s words brought a tear to his eye. Steyn also said that he never expected that he would go on to have an impact on people living in different parts of the world. Adding that he still loves playing, Steyn stated that if Mavi continues to perform like this, he will soon be playing for the national squad.
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Talking about Mavi, Dale Steyn said, “It’s pretty amazing. Almost like he brings a tear to my eyes to be honest with you, I am not going to lie. I never expected to play this game and have an impact on people that live at opposite ends of the world. I still play, which is still great, I still love playing.”
He further added, “But, that’s amazing. I hope that he (Mavi) can push on and these kinds of performances will get him into teams that he wants to play for, India, and also play a bigger part for Kolkata. I would love to get in touch with him at some point, that would be a dream come true for me too,” concluded Steyn.
