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Suryakumar Yadav's batting and personality are loaded with nonchalance. He walks out chewing gum, smacks bowlers to all corners of the ground and then walks off chewing gum, soaking the applause from a thoroughly entertained crowd. On November 06 (Sunday), the swashbuckling right-handed batter put on a show for 82,000-odd people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It was just another day at the office for Mumbai Indians' batter. He came, he saw and he conquered, and when he walked off the field after depositing the last ball of India's innings for an outrageous six over the fine-leg fence with his body falling outside the wide tramline, the stunned onlookers had only one question in their minds - how does he do it?
Well, Suryakumar's skillset is unrivaled and as India gets ready for the knockouts, the Men in Blue along with over a billion fans are hoping for the right-hander batter to continue his sensational display. Against Zimbabwe, Suryakumar played a stunning knock of 61 runs in just 25 balls.
The best batter on show in the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav, may call the growing comparisons with AB de Villiers pre-mature but the original 'Mr 360 degree' South African finds them quite fair.
Surya has set the World Cup on fire with 225 runs from five games, including three fifties at a staggering strike rate of 193.97.
He has left the experts and fans in awe with his incredible range of strokes. The 32-year-old, who is a late entrant to international cricket, has made batting look ridiculously look easy even in the toughest of conditions, like India experienced against South Africa in Perth.
Amid constant talk of his ABD-like playing style, Surya recently said there can only be one 'Mr 360', but de Villiers himself begged to differ.
"I am very happy for Surya. I think he has come a very long way. I never saw this happening, the way he is playing," de Villiers told PTI from Mumbai where he launched the Last Man Stands-backed India Super League.
"He was very conservative and stuck to his game plans at the start but he is now laying the platform and foundation and then starting to dominate the bowlers. It is fantastic to see that and he has a bright future ahead of him," he added.
When asked if it is the right time to compare Surya with him, de Villiers, one of the most versatile batters in the game, said: "Yes they are. The only thing he will have to concentrate on is his consistency. He will have to do this for 5 to 10 years and then he will find himself in the golden books of cricket players."
De Villiers left the cricketing world in awe while playing some outrageous strokes all around the park. But has he been bowled over by Surya's play?
"Any player that gets into form... I think of quite a few guys that really start playing at the peak of their powers, that makes me very exciting. Each sportsman for that matter. It is beautiful to watch when they are really free and having fun out there. Great to watch Surya play the way he is playing now," said the 38-year-old who retired from all forms of cricket in 2021.
(With PTI inputs)
