MI New York (MI NY) batter Dewald Brevis recently credited Indian Premier League (IPL) teammate Tilak Varma for inspiring him to give his 100% in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023.
Brevis’ comments came after his match-winning knock of 57 (41) against Washington Freedom in the Eliminator on Friday, July 28.
The South African put up another brilliant performance, an unbeaten 44* (31) in the ‘Challenger’ (which is like the second Qualifier in the IPL) against Texas Super Kings on Saturday. The right-hander helped MI chase TSK’s target of 159 in 19 overs.
“I have to mention my friend, Tilak (Varma), he is somewhere in Barbados now. He always tells me, when he plays, he’s going to win the next game. Always important to enjoy and give as much as you can so that you can put in a nice performance for your team,” Brevis told minycricket.com.
The 20-year-old, who also plays for Mumbai Indians’ franchises in the IPL and SA20, said he has their complete backing and doesn’t “want to be in another shirt”.
“When that came off I was smiling” – Dewald Brevis on Mahela Jayawardene’s advice to him
Dewald Brevis was dropped after the first two matches in the tournament and only made a comeback in the last match because Kieron Pollard picked up an injury against Seattle Orcas.
The youngster thanked former Mumbai Indians coach and now the franchise’s Global Head of Performance, Mahela Jayawardene, for helping him improve his technique.
“To be honest, I just told myself to be calm and be myself always. I just want to mention Mahela Jayawardene, he had a chat with me a few days ago and he asked me to have a suble moment with my trigger. When that came off I was smiling and I felt good out there. The wicket was interesting, but if you just focused to play straight, it worked out,” he said.
MI New York will face the Seattle Orcas in the MLC final on Sunday, July 30.