IPL: U19 star dubbed 'Baby AB De Villiers' wants to play for RCB, names Kohli as favourite

South African U19 star batter Dewald Brevis has earned the name ‘Baby AB’ all thanks to his exploits in the ongoing ICC U19 World Cup 2022. The 18-year-old also has a batting stance that quite resembles AB de Villiers and has amassed 362 runs at an average of 90 and a strike rate of 86 and as of now remains the leading run-scorer of the 2022 U19 World Cup. The youngster has a century and three half-centuries to his tally.

In his latest interview with the ICC, Dewald Brevis said his ultimate dream was to play for South Africa in all three formats of the game while also playing in the IPL. The youngster expressed his desire to play for RCB and said he would love to play alongside Virat Kohli.  “For me, the biggest dream is to play for the Proteas and then I am such a big fan of the IPL, I would love to play for RCB because AB (de Villiers) and (Virat) Kohli are there,” Brevis was heard saying in a video posted on the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

He further went on to add that he would love to ply his trade in franchise T20 cricket across the globe and be recognized for his all-rounding abilities “Also, all the other T20 competitions around the world. I want to be recognized as an all-rounder with my leg-spin bowling. I want to play all three formats,” he added.

I asked him if I can were the number 17 jersey 

Speaking more about AB de Villiers, Brevis recalled his conversation with his idol and said that he had taken permission from the South African legend before donning the number 17 jersey. “He wore the number 17 jersey. I just looked up to that. Then I asked AB if I can carry that number 17 on my back and then he said “You’re welcome”. So it’s a big honour for me to wear that jersey,” 

He also said that while AB de Villiers is one of the best and that it is nice to draw comparisons, he's looking to build his own identity “He (AB de Villiers) is a legend and one of the best in the whole world. I like being compared to him but I would like to have my own identity as Dewald Brevis." he said.

Image: ICC/ IPL