Dewald Brevis Exclusive on MS Dhoni, CSK fans and being ‘Baby AB’: ‘It’s never been pressure’
Few young cricketers in world cricket have generated as much excitement as Dewald Brevis. Nicknamed ‘Baby AB’ for his striking resemblance in style to South African great AB de Villiers, Brevis has quickly built a reputation for fearless strokeplay, infectious energy and the ability to light up any T20 contest. From dominating age-group cricket to becoming one of the most talked-about young batters in franchise leagues, the South African prodigy continues to live up to the hype surrounding him.
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In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Brevis opened up on life with Chennai Super Kings, the overwhelming love from fans in Chennai, his bond with MS Dhoni and the mindset that drives his aggressive brand of cricket.
The youngster also spoke about being compared to de Villiers, his upbringing in South Africa, Olympic dreams and why staying true to himself remains the biggest lesson in his journey so far.
Excerpts from the interview…
Q: First of all, thank you so much for speaking to us. You’re in India right now. How has Chennai and India treated you so far?
Dewald Brevis: “It’s been amazing. I would say it’s felt a bit quicker this year. A lot has happened in this short time or a few months that we’ve been here, but absolutely love it and fell in love with the city of Chennai, being out and about to a few coffee shops, went to the malls and you are really just enjoying it. Played some cricket there in Chennai, like in some of the streets. So yeah, like I really enjoyed it. It’s an amazing place.”
Q: The Chennai crowd seems to absolutely adore you already. What has that love from CSK fans meant to you?
Dewald Brevis: “It’s an amazing thing. When I’m running towards the crowd and the supporters and fans, there’s so much love that they give. And for me, that’s special and means the world to me. And I obviously want to give a lot of love back to them and do well for everyone. It’s a feeling you get when you hear your supporters and your fans shout for you. It’s a feeling you get inside that’s really special.”
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Q: You’ve now experienced both the South African dressing room and the CSK environment. What differences stand out to you?
Dewald Brevis: “So I think obviously there are differences in both. In South African one, everyone is from South Africa and everyone has a lot more in common, whereas in IPL, like with Chennai, there are a lot of players that are all over from cities in India and then as well overseas players, that’s not just from South Africa. So I think it’s just how quickly you can adapt to new people. I think that’s always important. But yeah, I think it’s special to be able to have two amazing environments. I think we’ve been great at Chennai when it comes to lows, highs, and how we handle that. And I think wherever you go, you wanna take that. The support and backing we get from the coaches, captain, players and everyone, even if you’re going through a tough time, that’s really amazing. And I think any team should really focus on that and that’s something that’s very clear also from being in Chennai, especially the backing you do get here is amazing.”
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Q: We have to ask you about MS Dhoni. What have your interactions with him been like?
Dewald Brevis: “Now we’ve had great times. I think he would have loved to be on the field. You almost don’t have to speak to him. You can just watch how he does his things, like the way he carries himself, the way he lives. And I think that’s really amazing. And then obviously just speaking to him, learning from him, even being in conversations when he’s speaking to other people, you even learn like that because you don’t always have to ask the questions. But yeah, I think he’s just such an amazing person to have to be around and to learn from.”
Q: Your teammates describe you as someone who is always fully invested, whether in practice or downtime. Where does that competitive streak come from?
Dewald Brevis: “Yeah, it’s basically me just being me, being true to myself. And that’s how I like to play the game, to train and to do things. So yeah, I’m a competitive person, but I’d want to be competitive and enjoy it and play with a smile.”
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Q: But where does that competitiveness really originate from?
Dewald Brevis: “It’s funny, like if you can go far back into the past, just thinking of myself and right now my brother, when we played backyard cricket, I suppose that’s where there was a lot of competitiveness, like a lot of battles, a lot of tears as well, but smiles as well.”
Q: Tell us a little about how cricket began for you.
Dewald Brevis: “Yeah, to me, I always knew from a very young age, I knew that God blessed me with a talent to play cricket, that’s why I play the game. And I could say from a young age, I always knew I was going to play cricket. Like, visually, I could see it then.”
Q: Do you like being called ‘Baby AB’?
Dewald Brevis: “It’s always special or great to be compared to AB. He’s the person I looked up to growing up. I’m extremely grateful to have played with him and it’s never ever been any burden or any pressure on me. It’s always been nice and always been a privilege, but for me, I would like people to see me as DB and that’s important for me, like I am my own person, my own player.”
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Q: Cricket at the Olympics, how exciting is that prospect for you?
Dewald Brevis: “Very exciting. How nice would it be to have a gold medal?”
Q: Who’s your best mate in the South African dressing room?
Dewald Brevis: “Best mate Nandre.”
Q: What’s one moment from this CSK campaign you’ll hold close to your heart?
Dewald Brevis: “I think of the team obviously winning together, but the love that you get from your supporters and the fans every single time you play, even though it might not have gone your way as well as how you would have wanted it to be, but that consistent support, that really means the world.”
Q: What advice would you give young kids who want to become bowlers in modern-day T20 cricket?
Dewald Brevis: “Think just keep believing that you’re the best, then you will be the best, whatever you bowl or whatever bowler you are, remember that that’s unique and that’s you. And don’t try to be someone else or try different actions or anything. Just like really focus on being the natural self and you really make that strong and have fun when you do that and enjoy the moment. And yeah, trust the process.”
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Q: One South African legend you’ve always looked up to?
Dewald Brevis: “I think we all know. So always be AB, no one else. Like, there’s a lot of other greats of the game from South Africa, but AB is the one.”
First Published:
May 21, 2026, 22:00 IST
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