"He’s pulling off shots that I never did" - AB de Villiers on comparisons with Suryakumar Yadav
South African great AB de Villiers recently opened up on the comparisons with Suryakumar Yadav, pointing out that the Indian star has been playing some shots, which he never did.
Suryakumar's ability to play shots all round the park has compelled experts to draw parallels with the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) superstar.
Talking to JioCinema on Home of Heroes, AB de Villiers lavishly praised the No. 1 T20 batter in the world.
"I think it’s incredible," de Villiers said. "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.
"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," he continued.
"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 further added that Suryakumar's calm approach in the middle is his recipe for success.
"When he’s confident, he moves so slowly and he sets it so beautifully upright," the former Proteas skipper added.
"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."
Since his T20I debut in 2021, Suryakumar Yadav has set the stage ablaze. He has averaged over 45 in 46 T20I innings, including three centuries and 13 fifties.
"I mean I might pull out my kit" - AB de Villiers on coming out of retirement
When quizzed whether he will return to the sport as a player, AB de Villiers reaffirmed that he will no longer ply his trade in the IPL. However, he added that he might play a few social games here and there in 2024.
"Not in the IPL," he stated. "I’ll never say never, I mean I might pull out my kit. I don’t even know where it is. Maybe I’ll pull it out and play a social game somewhere in the next year. And I feel like, you know what, maybe."
AB de Villiers called time on his IPL career after the 2021 season. The right-handed batter, on the other hand, announced his international retirement in 2018.