Baby AB Brevis is CSK’s new enforcer

CHENNAI: In a season where much has seemed off-colour for Chennai Super Kings, power-hitter Dewald Brevis seems a bright spot for the five-time IPL champions. The 22-year-old South African, known as ‘Baby AB’ (for his AB de Villiers-esque strokeplay), went unsold at the IPL mega auction following a relatively quiet stint with Mumbai Indians. But fate had other plans.Drafted mid-season as a replacement for Gurjapneet Singh, Brevis was handed a crucial role that CSK had struggled to fill – an aggressive middle-order enforcer who can tilt the tempo in the middle and back end of an innings.“I’ve been watching the first half of the IPL, and it was torturing. I was sitting and eager just to get here,” Brevis had said in a video posted by CSK on their social media.Brevis’ hunger was evident as he wasted no time making an impact. Slotted into a misfiring batting unit, Brevis settled seamlessly into the middle order (at No. 5 & No.6). In the four matches he has played, the explosive batter has accumulated 126 runs, with three scores above 30, and a healthy strike rate of 163.64 — his best in the IPL so far. And on Wednesday against Kolkata Knight Riders, Brevis showed spark and spunk to illustrate just how quickly he can turn a game. His base-ball bat arcs and down-the-ground brutality brought a kind of raw, fearless power that CSK’s batting had sorely lacked earlier this season. He played a superlative knock (52, 25b; 4x6, 4x4) at a strike rate of 208.00 and unleashed a relentless assault on KKR seamer Vaibhav Arora, plundering him for 30 runs in an over: 6, 4, 4, 6, 6, 4.Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody, who has coached various IPL sides, said in a post-match show: “This could be one of CSK’s best signings of the decade. Brevis is an exceptionally talented player, and he’s just starting to realise that talent.”That single over on Wednesday shifted the momentum in CSK’s favour, propelling them to victory. “That over was basically very ‘in the moment’. I took it ball by ball. The last ball, when I just slammed it towards the covers, that was so satisfying. It was just watching the ball and reacting to it. This is what IPL and T20 cricket is all about, at this moment. When there’s an open door, you have to slam it down,” Brevis said after the match.But Brevis is not content with explosive cameos; he has a bigger goal in mind. He aims to evolve into a dependable finisher, a role which skipper MS Dhoni has mastered over the years.“He’s (MS) a legend. It’s great to be part of his team and learn from him, because my goal is that I want to also be the guy that’s there at the end, getting the team over the line. I think it’s a process, you have to learn it your way and be true to yourself. The more I play, the more I will figure my way out,” Brevis, who also occasionally bowls leg spin, said.It’s still early, but Brevis has shown signs of being more than a temporary fix. He could well be one of the missing pieces that CSK have been yearning for over the last couple of seasons.