Chennai, April 14 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Dewald Brevis expressed his delight at returning to full fitness and rediscovering his rhythm ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

After winning the toss, Kolkata opted to bowl against an unchanged Chennai side in the 22nd match, putting the focus on CSK’s batting unit and players like Brevis, who are looking to make an impact after time away from the game.

Speaking about his return, Brevis highlighted the emotional challenge of being sidelined and his eagerness to get back to doing what he loves. “It’s absolutely incredible. It’s great to be out there playing. It’s sometimes tough to be on the side, and it angers your heart. You have to be able to just do what you love and enjoy, it’s really special,” he told the broadcasters ahead of the start of play.

The South African youngster also shed light on the work he put in during his recovery, focusing on strengthening both his technique and his physical conditioning. “I think when I had time to bat a bit, I had time to just keep it simple and do a few basic drills, so the basics, and then when I was getting more into it, I conditioned hard and got my body strong. So, yeah, it’s been a good few days where I could really get stronger,” he said.

Brevis revisited a turning point in his career, recalling a crucial phase in December 2024 when he consciously reset his approach to the game with the help of his brothers, who helped him get back to his usual self.

“It was really amazing. I could remember it like yesterday. I always remember the day, December 2024. That’s where the 2025 season started for me, to be honest. But I knew I had to go and do the right stuff and really give everything to cricket to really get back to the basics, who I am, and my brothers really helped me to come back to the person who I am, the way I play, play fearless, but not reckless, and having fun. And yeah, I trained a lot, I hit a lot of balls, but it was a special day that, and a few days, and then, yeah, everything went almost back to how I’ve played when I was a little boy,” he stated.

Known for his aggressive strokeplay, Brevis embraced his natural attacking instincts, underscoring how they continue to define his batting approach in T20.

“Yeah, absolutely, love being aggressive, love hitting sixes, and that’s basically in my DNA growing up, and that’s what we obviously knew when I was there at that time, that’s my natural play, there’s aerial, more aerial, I can also hit in the gaps and hit fulls, but being natural and just enjoying the game, and then let it happen, and then that’s how sixes and fours and stuff goes for me,” he mentioned.

–IANS

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