South Africa’s former talismanic batter AB de Villiers was well known for his all ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground and thus he claimed the name of Mr. 360 degree. India’s in-form batter Suryakumar Yadav has followed AB de Villiers’ path as he has shown the same skills to hit all around the ground.
As a result, there has been a lot of comparison between AB and SKY for their similar style of batting. Former Proteas batter believes the pundits are right in comparing them but SKY will need to be more consistent and will have to do this for the next five to ten years.
Meanwhile, AB de Villiers had a glorious career for South Africa and delivered in all three forms of the game. SKY made his International debut in 2021 against England and since then he has performed consistently for the team in the T20I format.
The Mumbai batter has scored 225 runs in five matches at an average of 75 and a whirlwind strike rate of 193.97 in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The 32-year-old has also scored three fifties and he has made a deep impact on the game.
AB de Villiers said while talking to the PTI, “Yes, they are [right in comparing Suryakumar with me]. The only thing he will have to concentrate on is his consistency. He will have to do this for five to ten years and then he will find himself in the golden books of cricket players.”
“Any player that gets into form… I think of quite a few guys who really start playing at the peak of their powers, that makes me very excited. For each sportsman, it’s beautiful to watch when they are free and having fun out there. Great to watch Surya play the way he is playing now.”
On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav disapproved of his comparison with AB de Villiers and feels there is only one 360-degree batter in the world and that’s former Proteas batter.
“I feel there is only one 360-degree player in the world [AB de Villiers]. I just try to play the way I can. I try to stay as still as possible so that I can hit the ball to the areas I want to. I bat the same way in the nets, but there I put more pressure on myself so that I have less pressure in the match.”
India will take on England in the second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
