"The minute he sees an opportunity, he takes it" - AB de Villiers on Suryakumar Yadav's rise
Legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers is pleasantly surprised to see the rise of Suryakumar Yadav as the No. 1 ranked batter in T20I cricket. SKY's ability to score runs all around the dial has also drawn comparisons between him and De Villiers.
While Suryakumar made a reputation for himself as a world-class T20 batter at the Mumbai Indians (MI) from around 2018, he spent several years with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before that, where he showed glimpses of brilliance but not quite the consistency.
Speaking to Star Sports, AB de Villiers recalled his initial memory of Suryakumar Yadav as a budding batter in the IPL and tried to dissect what has made the latter transform into a world-beater. He said:
"The first few years of me seeing him (SKY) play in the IPL, he was very circumspect, always consolidated in trying to build an innings. Now he is also doing that but it is almost like the platform is there for him to look for the opportunity to sort of take control of the game. That's where a batter becomes dangerous. The minute he sees an opportunity, he takes it."
De Villiers further added:
"I am very impressed and surprised. I didn't see anything when I was playing in the IPL with him. It's just great to see players exploring different avenues and just growing into a player no one saw coming."
AB de Villiers on Suryakumar Yadav learning the importance of patience
AB de Villiers feels that the only thing that could stop Suryakumar Yadav from delivering on his promise is if the latter tries too hard to make things happen. De Villiers shed light on the importance of identifying moments to make an impact on the game.
On this, he stated:
"I hope he never falls into the trap of trying to push it too hard. As a player, I always respected the situation. Always wait for your opportunity, be patient and you will get it. I believe he has the potential to take it to the next level."
Suryakumar Yadav will arguably be India's biggest hope in the T20 World Cup to be played in the West Indies and the USA next year.