No.1 ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav has continued his dominance in the shortest format with his third century in six months. Suryakumar’s unorthodox strokeplay has made it hard for opposition teams to devise plans against him. While many have compared him to South Africa’s AB de Villiers for his shots behind the wicket, former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach Tom Moody compared him to Sir Viv Richards.
In an exclusive chat with Sports Tak, Moody was asked about his current favourite T20 batter. “Just the way he plays is breathtaking. He reminds me so much of when I was a young cricketer watching the likes of Sir Vivian Richards. He is a player who is able to control the game single-handedly,” the former Australian cricketer said.
Richards was considered way ahead of his time as he had a strike rate of 90.20 in 1980s and 1990s. Many have expressed that he would have been perfect for the T20 template. For many years, he held the record for highest ODI score of 189 not out.
Few hours ahead of the first match of inaugural edition of International League T20 (ILT20) in UAE, the Desert Vipers’ coach talked about Indian pace sensation Umran Malik.
“It is exciting to see the Indian team embracing him and he is getting opportunity to play at the highest level. That's clearly where he will be doing most amount of his learning in that high performance environment. He is continuing to improve like all young, raw fast bowlers. It takes time. There needs to be patience but he is a rare diamond. You don't really find fast bowlers who can bowl 150-plus,” the 57-year-old said.
On Malik’s chances in Test cricket, he said, “I don't have that crystal ball but I think at the moment slow steps with regard to his development are important. The most important thing is Indian selectors and coaching team has recognised to slowly integrate him into T20I and 50-over game. He is getting those experiences.”
Moody who helped SRH win the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy in 2016 edition also called IPL the best league in the world.
“I think IPL is the best league in the world. There is no question about that. It has the strongest competition in the world when it comes to franchise cricket. So leagues like the ILT20 will only try to aspire to become as competitive and strong as the league like the IPL. But there is a clear difference between the IPL, Big Bash, The Hundred and other leagues around the world for obvious reason,” he said.
Vipers will take on Sharjah Warriors in their first clash of the season on January 15. Ahead of Colin Munro-led side's first encounter, Moody feels that he has got a good team and it is too early to say which team is strong and which is not.
“To be fair I think every team looks strong. They have been very successful with their recruitment process. I don't think there is any real standout as it is hard to make these calls early on. We are confident with the group of players we have managed to put together. The team is starting to gel together nicely,” he said.
