In a recent revelation, South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has shed light on the biggest challenge for Indian batting sensation Suryakumar Yadav in international cricket. Known for his ability to execute 360-degree shots, Suryakumar has garnered significant praise from De Villiers, who recognizes his expansive range of strokes.
Surya’s rise to prominence was propelled by his outstanding performances in T20Is, where he amassed three centuries with a strike rate of 200 or higher while batting at the crucial number four position. The only player with more centuries in T20Is than Suryakumar is the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma. It’s worth noting that top five batters with the most T20I centuries bat at the top of the order, whereas Suryakumar has achieved his feats in the middle overs.
While Suryakumar currently holds the top spot in the T20I rankings, his numbers in Test matches and ODIs have been less impressive. Since making his debut for India in the Nagpur Test against Australia, Suryakumar has not had the opportunity to play a single Test match. Surprisingly, he was not included in the Indian Test squad for the West Indies series, despite the middle-order lacking options in the absence of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. In the ODIs, Suryakumar experienced a string of disappointments, being dismissed for three consecutive golden ducks in the three-match series against Australia, just before the 2023 edition of India Premier League (IPL).
De Villiers has identified consistency as the primary challenge for Suryakumar in the transitions across different formats. De Villiers emphasized the importance of Suryakumar understanding his own game and determining what works best for him in each format.
“I think it’s incredible. I think he’s pulling off shots that I never did. I really do. When it gets going, it’s lovely to watch. I think he’s got a long way to go still. I think there’s more to come. I think there’s even a better player in the future, so that’s very exciting. I think is his biggest concern or not a concern,” said De Villiers in an interview on JioCinema.
“His biggest challenge will be to be consistent in all the formats and to figure out his game in Test cricket, in ODIs and in T20 and understand how it works for him. I think he should actually just realize it’s all exactly the same. I do see a lot of similarities. He’s just going to be able to shift through the gears and I mean, it’s incredible to watch. He can score all around the ground,” he added.
