IPL 2021: Dale Steyn gets emotional after Shivam Mavi calls him long-time 'idol' | Watch

Former South African pacer Dale Steyn became emotional during a live chat show with Indian commentator Aakash Chopra after listening to a bit from Shivam Mavi, where the KKR bowler calls him his longtime "idol". After listening to the excerpt on ESPNcricinfo, Steyn told Aakash that Mavi's words almost brought tears to his eyes. The former Protea further added that he never expected to have such an impact on people living at "opposite ends of the world". Steyn said that he would like to get in touch with Mavi at some point in the future. 

"It is pretty amazing. Almost actually brings a tear to my eyes, to be honest with you, I'm not even gonna lie. It's fantastic. I never ever expected to play this game and have an impact on people that lived on the opposite ends of the world. I still play, which is still great, I still love playing. But, that’s amazing. I hope that he (Mavi) can push on and these kinds of performances will get him into teams that he wants to play for, India, and also play a bigger part for Kolkata. I would love to get in touch with him at some point, that would be a dream come true for me too," Steyn told Aakash Chopra. 

"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," Mavi had said in the video. 

Shivam Mavi was exceptional with the ball against Punjab Kings last night as he took 1 wicket in 4 overs and gave away just 13 runs at an impressive economy of 3.25. Mavi was entrusted by KKR skipper Eoin Morgan to bowl his full quota of overs in the powerplay alongside Australian star Pat Cummins. The duo exerted enough pressure on Punjab batsmen in the first 6 overs and restricted the flow of runs to help Kolkata achieve a bare minimum target. 

KKR in IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) registered a comfortable victory over KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) as the change in venue brought new fortunes for Morgan and his men. KKR won the match by 5 wickets and 20 balls to spare. Kolkata Knight Riders have moved three places up on the points table, now sitting at number five position just below defending champions Mumbai Indians. The Eoin Morgan-led team will play its next game against table-toppers Delhi Capitals on Thursday at the newly-constructed Narendra Modi stadium.   

(Image Credit: KKR/Twitter/IPL)