IPL 2022: The way Sachin Tendulkar played was always an inspiration to me, says Dewald Brevis

Dewald Brevis, who is often compared to the great AB de Villiers, says Sachin Tendulkar has always been his inspiration and he would like to emulate the Indian icon while trying to create his identity in international cricket. The 18-year-old, who has been picked by Mumbai Indians for the upcoming IPL, has been nicknamed 'Baby AB' for his resemblance to de Villiers' playing style. Brevis scored 506 runs in the recent U-19 World Cup, the most in a single edition of the tournament, surpassing flamboyant India opener Shikhar Dhawan's record of 505 runs in the 2004 edition and also picked up seven wickets with his part-time leg-spin. "The way he (Tendulkar) played was always an inspiration to me. My favourite innings of his is the ODI double-century, which happened to be against South Africa. I remember watching the match with my brother - it was an amazing innings," the 18-year-old told 'Mumbaindians.com'.

"I read his autobiography 'Playing it My Way' and there are a lot of things from there that I'd like to implement in my game. One thing I learnt from him is that you have to be humble because pride can be your downfall." Brevis said while it is an honour to be compared to de Villiers, he would like to create his own identity. "It is an honour to be compared to him (AB De Villiers), but it is important for me to have my own identity. I want to be known as Dewald Brevis," he said. "We went to the same school and played under the same coach so when I first met him, I could not get a word out. There were many things I wanted to ask him but I was star-struck," the right-handed batter remembered.

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