It won’t be wrong to say that Suryakumar Yadav is currently one of the best T20 batters in the world. Over the last few months, Surya has emerged as another superstar in the Indian unit, especially in the shortest format of the game. Following back-to-back half-centuries in the home series against Australia, Suryakumar Yadav continued his brilliant form Down Under as he slammed a 35-ball 53 in India’s 13-run win over Western Australia in a practice match on Monday.
SKY has impressed one and all with his stunning strokeplay. He is often compared to the South African legend AB de Villiers, who used to have a similar style and consistency. Therefore, it wasn’t a big surprise when de Villiers’ teammate and another Proteas legend Dale Steyn compared SKY with his former captain. Speaking about the same on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Live’, Dale Steyn said:
“He’s the kind of player that likes to use the pace of the ball. He likes to get in behind the square. In places like Perth, Melbourne, all of these grounds, there is a little bit of extra pace on it. So, you can use the pace, you can hit on fine leg, behind and all along the carpet. And he’s also really good when standing still and getting off the back foot. He has played some amazing back foot cover drives and some beautiful cover drives off the front foot too.”
He added: “So, he’s an all-round player, and it’s in Australia, where the wickets are so good, they are batter friendly. You can also get away when a bowler tries to bowl full, you can place the ball left and you can use the pace of the ball really well, given some room. So, he is a wonderful 360-degree player, and reminds me of AB de Villiers. He could be India’s version of AB de Villiers and with the red-hot form that he’s in right now, he’s a player to definitely watch out for this World Cup,”
Suryakumar, who top-scored with 52 in India’s first practice match against Western Australia, will be next seen in action on Thursday against the same opposition in India’s second warm-up match.
