In the past, South African legend AB de Villiers used to have a similar style and consistency. Hence, it was no surprise when de Villiers’ teammate and another Proteas legend Dale Steyn compared India’s Suryakumar Yadav to his former captain.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that Suryakumar Yadav is currently one of the best T20 batsmen in the world. Some might argue, he is the best. Making a name in the batting line-up with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli at the top and Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik as the finishers is an uphill task, but Sky, as Suryakumar is popularly known, not only Has managed to hold his own but has emerged as another superstar in the Indian unit.
Suryakumar appears to have made at least two separate shots for each ball. You bowl him out, he can hit him over cover or knock the thirdman down. Throw him a bouncer, and he hooks it right or opens the ‘Natraj Shot’ in an unusual but effective position. Test him with spin, he resorts to sweeping or goes down the track to hit inside out. He can also camp on the backfoot and is equally effective on either side of the wicket if the spinners pull it down.
Since making his debut, Suryakumar has scored 1045 runs in the middle overs at a strike rate of 176.81. No other batsman batting at No 4 or below in this format has had such an impact. In the past, South African legend AB de Villiers used to have a similar style and consistency. Hence, it was no surprise when de Villiers’ teammate and another Proteas legend Dale Steyn compared the Indian right-handed batsman to his former captain.
“He’s the kind of player who likes to use the pace of the ball. He likes to go behind the square. Places like Perth, Melbourne have a little extra momentum all over these grounds. So, you can use the pace. Well, you can hit on fine leg, back and across the carpet. And he’s also really good when he stays steady and gets off the back foot. He did some amazing back foot cover drives and some off the front foot Have also driven beautiful cover drives.
“So, he’s an all-rounder, and it’s in Australia, where the wickets are so good, they’re batsman friendly. When a bowler tries to bowl full, you can get away, you throw the ball to the left. Can keep and you can use it. The ball speed is really good, given some space. So, he’s an amazing 360-degree player, and reminds me of AB de Villiers. That’s AB de Villiers’ India And the red-hot form he is in right now, he is definitely a player for this World Cup,” Steyn said on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Live’.