'You’ll 100 percent play for India': Dale Steyn's valuable advice to Shivam Mavi

In the current era of modern cricket, when we think about the top pace bowlers of all-time, many cricket fanatics will remember the name of Dale Steyn. His unplayable swing and pace deliveries have haunted several batters over the years. 

Steyn is predominantly known for his competitive nature and, of course, his unique and energetic celebrations. However, the pace-gun of the Proteas has been an idol amongst emerging pace bowlers. 

One such emerging player happens to be Shivam Mavi. The 2018 U-19 World Cup-winning pacer has been an ardent fan of Dale Steyn and always considered him his idol. And for any young bowler, it's a significant achievement if they impress a bowler like Steyn with their skills.

In an interview with Sportskeeda, Mavi talked about his meeting with the Sunrisers Hyderabad's fast bowling coach Dale Steyn during the recent edition of IPL, "It was my dream to meet Dale Steyn because I've been following him since I was a kid. It felt really good to meet him. I shared things with him; and talked about the [injury] issues." 

Steyn said to the youngster: “It's OK, these things happen. You just need to focus on the things & that'll help you move forward."

Mavi added, "Steyn also told me, 'Just keep bowling fast, and you'll 100 per cent play for India'."

Mavi also highlighted Dale Steyn stressing the mental aspects of bowling. Indeed, it was an enriching and wholesome learning experience for the young pacer. 

After an impressive bowling performance in the 2018 U19 World Cup, KKR signed Shivam Mavi in 2018. However, he is yet to establish himself as a regular seamer for the KKR, having played only 32 matches in four years and taking 30 wickets. 

Having previously made a prediction about fast bowler Umran Malik, who then went on to play for the Indian cricket team, Dale Steyn believes that Mavi has the potential to soar to new heights in world cricket.