"The most deserving candidate when it comes to AB de Villiers' 360-degree tag" - Zaheer Khan on Suryakumar Yadav's batting repertoire
Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan believes that swashbuckling batter Suryakumar Yadav has taken a leaf out of South African legend AB de Villiers' batting style.
Zaheer reckoned that Suryakumar is currently the closest to de Villiers' 360-degree tag, pointing out how the Indian batter has scored runs in all areas of the ground with his dynamic strokeplay.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Zaheer said:
"He (Suryakumar) is certainly the most deserving of the lot right now, from whatever are seeing of players going around right now. He has tried to replicate that, isn't it? You have seen those sixes over point and those shots to third man, those ramp shots, and those shots to the fine leg area.
"All those kind of aspects, he is certainly the most deserving candidate when it comes to AB de Villiers' 360-degree tag."
With consistent performances, Suryakumar Yadav has successfully established himself as the lynchpin of Indian batting in T20Is. He is also currently the No. 1 ranked player in the format in ICC rankings.
Suryakumar is currently leading India in the ongoing five-match home T20I series against Australia in the absence of Hardik Pandya. The 33-year-old cricketer has mustered 138 runs from three outings, including a stunning 80-run knock that helped India win the opening encounter.
"Makes him even more special" - Parthiv Patel on Suryakumar Yadav's impressive T20I stats
Suryakumar Yadav has scored the most runs for a middle-order batter in T20Is since 2021. He has 1326 runs to his name from 34 innings at an average of 51.00 and a strike rate of 179.18.
During the same discussion, former keeper-batter Parthiv Patel lauded Suryakumar for scoring at a fantastic strike rate in the middle overs.
"That is the reason why we have been talking about how important player Suryakumar Yadav is in this format," Parthiv stated. "The average of 51 with a strike rate of 179, and that too in middle-overs, where there is no powerplay. That makes him even more special. Every time we have seen him, he comes in with that flare and a clear mindset."
Suryakumar will next be seen in action during the fourth T20I of the India-Australia series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday.