Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian cricketer, spent a lot of time with the Indian star batter Suryakumar Yadav when the latter played for the Kolkata franchise from 2014 to 2018. Known for his ability to hit all around the ground, Suryakumar earned the name Mr 360 and a few even compared him to South African great AB De Villiers.
However, Gambhir, who said that the batter has a lot of work to do to reach the status, added that the aggressive batter has a better strike rate than most of the players in the current Indian team, even though he does not have the ability to play a good cover drive.
“Let’s not give him names like 360, there’s a lot of work to do. He’s got loads of talent. Whether it is 360, 180 or 1 degree, it doesn’t matter. He has the game. He knows what he’s doing,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
He has been successful with what he has got: Gambhir
Gambhir further said that the Indian batter could be successful in the longest format of the game as well for team India, as he has been consistent in First Class cricket in domestic tournaments. For now, Suryakumar’s only assignment is to come and play his natural attacking game, which seems to pay off more often than not, for team India.
“When a traditional coach sees him he can say, ‘he’s got an open stance, he doesn’t get behind the line’ but he has been successful with what he has got. He has scored runs at first-class cricket and in every format. Hopefully, he gets a chance in Test cricket and he’ll do well,” Gambhir added.
“He (Suryakumar) might not have the best cover drive like the others (Indian batters) but he has that 180-strike rate which is much more valuable than that of the other Indian batters,” said the former Indian opener further. After a long wait, Suryakumar stormed into the Indian squad in 2021 and since then, it has been no turning back for the talented batter. Averaging around 40 in the shortest format of the game, the batter is definitely a player for the future.
