India have several big names in their batting order for the 20-20 World Cup in Australia. However, one name that has grabbed the attention of the entire cricketing fraternity is Suryakumar Yadav. The star batter has enthralled the fans with his inventive cricketing strokes all around the ground. Yadav’s magnificent shots have even earned him the praise of former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn.
Steyn has already tipped him as someone ‘who could be AB de Villiers of India’ in the near future. Steyn said Yadav likes to use the pace of the ball and conditions in Australia are tailor-made for his strengths.
“He’s the kind of player that likes to use the pace of the ball. He likes to get in behind the square. In places like Perth, Melbourne, all of these grounds, there is a little bit of extra pace on it. So, you can use the pace, you can hit on fine leg, behind and all along the carpet. And he’s also really good when standing still and getting off the back foot. So, he’s an all-round player, and it’s in Australia, where the wickets are so good, they are batter friendly,” said Dale Steyn on Star Sports.
He’s a player to definitely watch out for this World Cup: Steyn
Unlike many other players, Yadav is hailed as a ‘360-degree player’ meaning the batter has the ability to play shots all around the ground which gives him more scoring opportunities.
“You can also get away when a bowler tries to bowl full, you can place the ball left and you can use the pace of the ball really well, given some room. So, he is a wonderful 360-degree player, and reminds me of AB de Villiers. He could be India’s version of AB de Villiers and with the red hot form that he’s in right now, he’s a player to definitely watch out for this World Cup,” he added.
Yadav continued his good form in India’s warm-up game against Western Australia scoring a fine fifty on a fast and bouncy track at Perth. He ended up scoring a 35-ball 52 helping India to get to a respectable total of 158 on the board.
India ended up beating the hosts by 13 runs in its first practice game ahead of the 20-20 World Cup on Monday.
