imgpsh_fullsize_anim - 2021-04-26T170753 (7)-2

Picture Credit: espncricinfo

South African speedster Dale Steyn got emotional during a live show after Kolkata Knight Riders' young pace bowler Shivam Mavi referred to him as his idol. The veteran was seen in tears after listening to Mavi's words. The incident occurred on ESPNCricinfo’s show ‘T20 Timeout’, where Dale Steyn and the renowned commentator Aakash Chopra were the two experts on the show.

During the live show, both Chopra and Steyn were discussing the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, where KKR won by 5 wickets. Later, the host shared a video clip of KKR player Shivam Mavi, where he shared his thoughts about Dale Steyn which bought tears to Proteas pacer's eyes.

Shivam Mavi revealed that he always followed Steyn’s bowling and also called him his idol, which made Dale Steyn emotional.

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

https://youtu.be/r4kSy8bE3KY

After hearing that, Dale Steyn said that he didn't expect to make an impact on those who have been living at the opposite ends 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”, he further added.

Notably, Steyn has been considered one of the greatest pace bowlers in world cricket. The right-arm pacer played 93 Tests for South Africa and claimed 439 wickets.

It is also noteworthy that, Dale Steyn has also played for teams like Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Lions, and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the India Premier League.