Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers heaped huge praise on flamboyant India batter Suryakumar Yadav who has been in incredible form in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Suryakumar has often been compared to De Villiers for his ability to play 360-degree shots. The 32-year-old has emerged as one of the best batters in white-ball cricket at the moment as he also holds the numero uno rank on the ICC T20I batting charts.
He has left the experts and fans in awe with his incredible range of strokes. The 32-year-old, who is a late entrant to international cricket, has made batting look ridiculously look easy even in the toughest of conditions, like India experienced against South Africa in Perth.
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Amid constant talk of his ABD-like playing style, Surya recently said there can only be one ‘Mr 360’, but de Villiers himself begged to differ.
“I am very happy for Surya. I think he has come a very long way. I never saw this happening, the way he is playing.
“He was very conservative and stuck to his game plans at the start but he is now laying the platform and foundation and then starting to dominate the bowlers. It is fantastic to see that and he has a bright future ahead of him,” de Villiers told PTI from Mumbai where he launched the Last Man Stands-backed India Super League.
He has scored 225 runs in 5 matches at Super 12 stage of T20 World Cup an astonishing average of 75.
De Villiers was known for playing shots all around the ground and Surya has matched his beats in tough Australian conditions with his outrageous batting.
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When asked if it is the right time to compare Surya with him, de Villiers, one of the most versatile batters in the game, said: “Yes they are. The only thing he will have to concentrate on is his consistency. He will have to do this for 5 to 10 years and then he will find himself in the golden books of cricket players.”
De Villiers left the cricketing word in awe while playing some outrageous strokes all around the park. But has he been bowled over by Surya’s play? “Any player that gets into form… I think of quite a few guys that really start playing at the peak of their powers, that makes me very exciting. Each sportsman for that matter….
“It is beautiful to watch when they are really free and having fun out there. Great to watch Surya play the way he is playing now,” said the 38-year-old who retired from all forms of cricket in 2021.
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