The last couple of years have been extremely mediocre for South Africa’s bowling beast Dale Steyn. Steyn, who for a major chunk of his career, instilled constant fear in the minds of the batsmen, seems to have faded away and no longer looks threatening enough. Injuries too have taken a toll on Steyn, as his outings against India and England were cut short due to back to back injuries.
In Steyn’s the absence however, Kyle Abbott has stepped up and shouldered the responsibility of leading South Africa’s charge with the new ball. Abbott has achieved tremendous success in the short span of time. Abbott has been an integral part of South Africa’s setup and he indeed will be the key for them in the time to come.
On the sidelines of the IPL, Abbott spoke to TOI and explained that he relished his competition with Dale Steyn. “Steyn and I enjoy a healthy competition. He doesn’t keep me in the comfort zone and that’s what brings the best out of me. This holds true for him also. But it doesn’t mean that we work against each other,” Abbott said.
“I taught Steyn how to bowl the back-of-the-hand slower ball. He was not getting it right and I worked with him so that he gets the accuracy right. And the best part is he acknowledges the fact that he learnt it from me. He is one of the fast bowling legends but it shows great character to accept that he learnt something from a junior,” added Abbott.
Abbott also compared the likes of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers and explained in his own way. “If you see, Virat Kohli is constantly evolving and there are a few shots which he needs to perfect. But AB is a complete batsman. He has a 360-degree reach and can hit you anywhere. So he is the hardest to bowl to. Along with Gayle, they make Royal Challengers Bangalore such a powerhouse. It will be a challenge to bowl at them when we face them,” he said.