Suryakumar Yadav has taken the cricketing world by storm, yet again. It may not be new for him as he has been doing the same for over a year now, but every time he plays a ‘video game’ knock as he did against Sri Lanka in the third T20I in Rajkot, the adjectives tend to feel quite low in numbers. In a span of seven months, Surya has gone from no century in T20Is to three, joining skipper Rohit Sharma as the only other Indian player to achieve that number and it might not be a surprise if he equals the veteran opener or even surpasses him.
Surya, who has an average of 46 and a strike rate of a whopping 180, is in a league of his own as far as international T20 cricket is concerned. And, if the knock on Saturday is anything to go by the fans, the viewers and the teammates of the batter are in for another thrilling ride. Surya naturally received several praises not just from fans but former and current cricketers around the world but none bigger than the one by former India captain Kapil Dev. The World Cup-winning captain said that Surya is a once-in-a-century player while adding him in the league of great cricketers like Sir Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli among others, for whom words fall short in description.
Speaking to ABP News, Kapil said, “There are times when you are lost for words on how to describe this. When you watch Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, you think whether there will be a player who can convince you that he’s at the same level as these. There’s abundance of talent in India. And the kind of cricket he plays, especially the lap shot over fine leg. What does a bowler do then? They are afraid of bowling him full – he can hit you over mid-on, can flick you for a six. It becomes difficult for a bowler. He consistently keeps on picking line and length. He’s toying with the bowlers.”
“It’s rare to see someone strike this way. I have seen amazing players like AB de Villiers, Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting but few can hit the ball as cleanly as Suryakumar. Hats off to him!
He further continued, “Suryakumar Yadav is playing with the mindset of the players. In tennis you try to predict whether the service will land to your right or left. He can judge early where the bowler is about to land. Few players have this god-gifted ability to play like this. It’s not easy. Players like him come once in a century.”
Surya might not be a certainty in the ODI side but in T20Is, he will continue to entertain like he has done in the recent past.
