'He said Hi, good morning' - Abhinav Mukund reveals his experience of facing Dale Steyn for the first time

South African bowling colossus Dale Steyn announced his retirement on 31st August 2021, and wishes have been pouring in from all quarters of the world for the champion right-arm pacer.

While some cricketers have hailed Steyn for being a great bowler, others have shared small anecdotes about the bowing great. Indian cricketer Abhinav Mukund also shared his first experience of facing up to Steyn.

Mukund stated that before the Nagpur Test match between India and South Africa, he was a part of the side that played against the touring South African outfit. The first ball bowled to him by Steyn hit him hard on the thigh pad, and when he looked up, the South African pacer greeted him with a good morning.

“Before the famous Nagpur Test, I was part of the team that played the touring South Africans. It was my first taste of the big boys and my first ball hit the thigh pad so hard, I looked up and Dale Steyn said “Hi, good morning!” Happy retirement legend,” tweeted Abhinav Mukund.

You can see Abhinav Mukund’s tweet below

Before the famous Nagpur test,I was part of the team that played the touring Southafricans. It was my first taste of the big boys and my first ball hit the thigh pad so hard,I looked up and @DaleSteyn62 said "Hi,good morning!"
Happy retirement #legend!#DaleSteynretires

— Abhinav mukund (@mukundabhinav) August 31, 2021

Dale Steyn is one of the greatest pacers of all time

Dale Steyn will go down as one of the greatest pace bowlers of all time. Steyn’s pace, his accuracy, and his ability to get the ball to move both ways made him a nightmare for the willow wielders.

In a career that lasted a decade and a half, Steyn represented South Africa in 93 Tests, 125 ODIs, and 47 T20Is. While he is the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the whites and has scalped a whopping 439 wickets, Steyn also prized out 196 willow wielders in the ODI format of the game.

In T20I cricket, the legendary pacer picked up 64 wickets as well. He also picked up a stunning 29 five-wicket hauls in all three formats of the game at the international level.

Steyn also featured in 95 IPL matches and picked up 97 wickets at an average of 25.86. He played his last international match for South Africa on 21st February 2020 against the Australian side.