"Relieved to see Suryakumar Yadav in India's World Cup 2023 squad" - AB de Villiers
Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers is glad that Team India have shown faith in Suryakumar Yadav's abilities by backing the latter in their World Cup 2023 squad.
While SKY has been an incredible T20I batter, there has been a lot of talk about how he hasn't been able to replicate the same in ODI cricket. Some even questioned his place in the squad over other cricketers like Sanju Samson. However, De Villiers feels Suryakumar can crack the ODI code.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what AB de Villiers had to say about Suryakumar Yadav:
"I am relieved to see SKY in the World Cup squad. You guys know I am a big fan. He plays in a similar fashion to how I used to in T20 cricket. He hasn't cracked ODI cricket yet, but it's a tiny mind switch that he has got to make. He has all the ability to do it and I hope he gets his opportunity in the World Cup."
AB de Villiers on Sanju Samson
AB de Villiers also heaped praise on Sanju Samson when he was asked to share his thoughts on the Indian batter. He recalled Samson's sensational knock of 92*(45) against the Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2018 when the South African star was a part of the opposition.
On this, he stated:
"I have been at the receiving end at Chinnaswamy Stadium for RCB during his (Samson) hundred (92*) with the ball flying all over the place. He has all the shots as well and it's all about the mind and adjusting to ODI cricket."
Only time will tell whether India made the right decision by backing Suryakumar Yadav over Sanju Samson for the World Cup.
India's World Cup 2023 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.