“I think innovation-wise, skill-wise, I haven’t seen a better player in the game" - Ricky Ponting on Suryakumar Yadav
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav, who was recently crowned the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022. The Mumbai-born player had an exceptional year in the shortest format, resulting in him securing the No.1 spot in the T20I rankings for batters as well.
Suryakumar scored 1,164 runs in 31 T20Is in 2022 at a stellar strike rate of 187.43. His exploits in the middle order left his peers, fans, and pundits in pure awe. His ability to start scoring right away, the knack for chipping away with boundaries on a regular basis, and his familiarity with both orthodox and unorthodox strokeplay, make him an opposition captain's nightmare.
He marked the year with two hundreds in brilliant individual campaigns at the 2022 Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup 2022 to be named the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022.
Is Suryakumar Yadav the best to ever do it in T20Is? 🤔
On the ICC Review, Ricky Ponting has his say on the Men’s T20I Cricketer of 2022 💬
Branding Suryakumar as the best player he has ever seen in terms of innovation and skill, Ponting said in the latest edition of the ICC Review:
“I think innovation-wise, skill-wise, I haven’t seen a better player in the game.What it’s going to do as well, a lot of other players are going to try and do the things he’s doing and it’s going to add another level of skill to the T20 game all around the world."
Ponting added:
“Someone said during the IPL this year there are going to be guys who are going to try and do exactly the same as what Surya’s doing, and that’s going to be great for the game.”
Reserving praise for Suryakumar's unorthodox strokes, which made him a 360-degree player, Ponting continued:
"He’s probably doing it better than anyone’s ever done it right now. We talk about players that can score 360 degrees … some of the shots he’s hitting back behind the wicket-keeper and over fine leg are just remarkable.
"Five or six years ago, he started doing that a lot in the IPL. He was very good at flicking the ball over deep-backward square and getting the ball over fine-leg. Surya’s now been able to hit short balls on the way up and flick short balls over the keeper’s head and they’re going for six, not just for four.”
Suryakumar has been widely compared to South African great AB de Villiers, the pioneer of unorthodox shots.
"I didn’t think he’d get to the level he’s got to, to be quite honest" - Ricky Ponting
Suryakumar Yadav had to wait for his chance at the highest level and was on the sidelines for a significant while. Consistent numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the domestic circuit were not enough for a maiden call-up in the years leading up to his debut.
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Admitting that he did not see Suryakumar making such an impact in world cricket, Ricky Ponting said:
"I didn’t think he’d get to the level he’s got to, to be quite honest. He’s worked as hard as he has – you can probably tell by his body shape."
Ponting continued:
"He’s probably fitter than he’s ever been, being around the Indian set up with the likes of [Virat] Kohli and Shreyas Iyer and these guys, who are exceptionally fit young guys.To have those guys leading the way for him, he’s turned into an incredibly good player.”
Suryakumar began 2023 on a bright note. He notched the third T20I century of his career during the third T20I against Sri Lanka in January 2023. While he is struggling a bit to find his rhythm in the 50-over format, his form in T20 cricket is indisputable at the moment.
Will Suryakumar Yadav's rich vein of form continue in 2023 as well? Let us know what you think.
Also Read: "I think Babar’s still got a little bit of improvement to come, which is a pretty scary thought" - Ricky Ponting