Follow UsSuryakumar Yadav’s stunning entry into the Indian team garnered plenty of attention and comparison to legendary South African batter AB de Villiers. Like de Villiers, the Indian No.4 has a wide range of shots behind the wicket, which was the primary reason behind the comparison.
De Villiers complimented the Mumbaikar, stating that he is pulling off shots that the South African had never in his lifetime. One of Suryakumar’s trademark shots is his slap behind the wicket, stunning several bowlers. Not just that, the former South African also insisted that the right-hander has a ‘long way’ to go in his cricketing career.
"I think it's incredible. I think he's pulling off shots that I never did. I really do. When it gets going, it's lovely to watch. I think he's got a long way to go still. I think there's more to come. I think there's even a better player in the future, so that's very exciting. I think is his biggest concern or not a concern," AB de Villiers said in his interview on Home of Heroes on JioCinema.
Thus far, Suryakumar has shown the best of his skills in the shortest format, with 1675 runs, in 46 innings, averaging 46.52 while striking at 175.76. But come to the other two formats - the One-Day International (ODI) and Tests - the Mumbaikar has struggled big time.
In the 50-over format, he’s scored just 433 runs in 21 innings and scored just eight on his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur, which is an area of concern that de Villiers sees in the Mumbaikar.
"His biggest challenge will be to be consistent in all the formats and to figure out his game in Test cricket, in ODIs and in T20 and understand how it works for him. I think he should actually just realize it's all exactly the same. I do see a lot of similarities. He's just going to be able to shift through the gears and I mean, it's incredible to watch. He can score all around the ground,” de Villiers added.
But having said that, the South African had his entire hopes pinned against the success of Suryakumar, stating that his ability and skills are easily transferable across the formats.
"And when he's confident, he moves so slowly and he sets it so beautifully upright. He gets the ball nice and late. And once you snap that as a batter, once you realize that the faster the bowler gets, the more you've got to let it come and that is really starting to click and I think he has clicked that. So, the sky's the limit. Excuse the pun," de Villiers added.