South African batting legend AB De Villiers shared his insights on Men in Blue's squad for the ODI World Cup which will commence from October 5 in India. Former South African captain on his YouTube channel, didn't hold back his admiration for India's explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav. Currently no.1 ranked T20I batter in the world, Suryakumar's selection in India's 15-member ODI World Cup squad has been a topic of widespread approval and speculation since the announcement.
On this, de Villiers remarked, "I am relieved to see SKY in the World Cup squad. You guys know I am a big fan. He plays in a similar fashion to how I used to in T20 cricket."
However, the former Proteas star also touched upon an aspect of Suryakumar's game that might require some tweaking. While acknowledging Suryakumar's stellar T20 performance, de Villiers pointed out his modest run in the One Day Internationals (ODIs). With only 511 runs from 26 ODIs, averaging at 24.33, Suryakumar hasn't quite hit his stride in the 50-over format. "He hasn't cracked ODI cricket yet, but it's a tiny mind switch that he has got to make. He has all the ability to do it and I hope he gets his opportunity in the World Cup," de Villiers opined.
De Villiers also shed light on another Indian cricketer – the dynamic wicket-keeper batter, Sanju Samson. While Samson earned a spot in India's 17-member Asia Cup squad, he didn't make the cut for the World Cup roster. Having experienced Samson's explosive batting first-hand in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Chinnaswamy Stadium, de Villiers recalled, "I have been at the receiving end at Chinnaswamy Stadium for RCB during Samson's 92 not out with the ball flying all over the place. He has all the shots as well and it's all about the mind and adjusting to ODI cricket."
The much-anticipated ODI World Cup promises exhilarating cricket action, with its inaugural match pitting England against New Zealand on October 5. As the cricket world keenly eyes the unfolding of this event, endorsements and insights from legends like de Villiers add layers of depth and perspective to the spectacle.
India 15-player squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
India's schedule for ODI World Cup:
October 8: India v Australia, Chennai, 2 pm
October 11: India v Afghanistan, New Delhi, 2 pm
October 14: India v Pakistan, Ahmedabad, 2 pm
October 19: India v Bangladesh, Pune, 2 pm
October 22: India v New Zealand, Dharamsala, 2 pm
October 29: India v England, Lucknow, 2 pm
November 2: India v Sri Lanka, Mumbai, 2 pm
November 5: India v South Africa, Kolkata, 2 pm
November 11: India v Netherlands, Bengaluru, 2 pm
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma on verge of scripting history against Pakistan, set to join Kohli, Tendulkar in this sensational list
'Don't know what Najam Sethi is smoking nowadays': Harbhajan Singh's no-nonsense reaction to ex-PCB chief's bizarre statement on Team India
'I want to break his record': India captain Rohit Sharma reveals one of his goals moving forward in international cricket
'Someone decided to rob them from winning tonight': Coach Igor Stimac slams referees after India's King's Cup semi-final defeat against Iraq
