Dale Steyn is one of the finest fast bowlers to have ever graced the cricket field, and his records in all forms of cricket speak volumes of his prowess. Be it taking wickets with the red cherry or containing batters in white-ball cricket, the South African speedster was a force to reckon with in his peak years. Steyn’s brilliance with the ball made many young fast bowlers follow him and India’s Shivam Mavi also belongs to that category. Playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, the young pacer has been impressive in the past few years and is touted to represent India at the highest level. IPL 2021 Points Table Updated.

During ESPNCricinfo’s show, the ‘T20 Timeout,’ Steyn got emotional after learning that Mavi has been idolizing him.  While Steyn and Aakash Chopra were the two experts in the show, a clip featuring Mavi was played in which the fast bowler recalled how he followed Steyn closely over the years. Dale Steyn Slams Commentator for Calling His Hairstyle ‘Mid-Life Crisis.’

“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 (Jasprit) Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar (Kumar), but my idol has always been Dale Steyn,” said Mavi during the show.

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Steyn was overwhelmed by Mavi’s words, and he even got emotional during the show. The South African talisman stated that Mavi’s statement 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.

“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,” Steyn said.

Steyn added said that he would like to get in touch with the Indian fast bowler in the future. “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.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2021 04:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).