"The Indian public will give him his nickname eventually" - AB de Villiers on Dewald Brevis being called 'Baby AB'
Legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers believes young sensation and compatriot Dewald Brevis will not be known as 'Baby AB' for long as the latter would carve his own niche in the IPL and world cricket.
Brevis took the world by storm during the U19 World Cup in 2022 and since his jersey number, as well as playing style, was similar to De Villiers, he is called 'Baby AB'.
In a video on his YouTube channel, here's what AB de Villiers had to say about Dewald Brevis' future in the IPL:
"He was referred to as 'Baby AB' before, we have worked together and he has No. 17 on his back so the press had a ball playing with that. But he would like to make up his own name which I absolutely love. He is a strong character and I don't think he would like to be called Baby AB.
"He will find his own nickname down the line as he plays more IPL games. The Indian public will give him his nickname eventually."
AB de Villiers on Dewald Brevis getting maiden Proteas call-up
AB de Villiers was delighted to see Dewald Brevis get his maiden ODI and T20I call-up for South Africa as they are set to host Australia next week. He is hopeful that the youngster gets a chance to prove what he is capable of.
On this, De Villiers stated:
"I am in touch with Brevis on a weekly basis and have worked with him before. Never expected him to jump this quickly, but very excited to see him in the Proteas squad. It's a huge breakthrough. I hope he gets game time."
De Villiers also touched upon the importance of Brevis becoming more consistent and playing a long innings. On this, he added:
"We are working on helping him learn how to build an innings and how to not always be in fifth and sixth gear. He is always in a hurry and likes to go after the bowlers which I love.
"But you need to balance it out. There's always a time and a place. I want consistency from Brevis and he has got a golden opportunity now that he is in the South African squad."
Brevis could just be the X-factor South Africa need to take to the ODI World Cup in India in October-November this year.