Is Suryakumar Yadav the AB de Villiers of Indian cricket?

Suryakumar Yadav had a glorious season for Mumbai Indians in the just-concluded Indian Premier League. He hails from Mumbai and has represented the side on numerous occasions, having won his third title with MI. He previous also played for Kolkata Knight Riders.

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was famous for being competitive and the most closely-fought tournament in the history. However, what was even enjoyable to watch that the Indian youngsters, especially the uncapped ones, made a name for themself, courtesy their incredible performances.

Almost an uncapped from every team fired this edition. And, speaking of the champions Mumbai Indians (MI), it was Suryakumar Yadav who set an example apart.

He managed to score 480 runs in 15 innings at an average of 40.00, including four half-centuries. Despite being deemed one of the favourites to earn a national call-up, he was ignored by the selectors for the upcoming tour of Australia.

Consequently, former MI spinner Harbhajan Singh had questioned Suryakumar’s snub. He also termed the 30-year-old as the AB de Villiers of Indian cricket.

“There is no doubt that Suryakumar Yadav has transformed himself from being the game-changer to a primary match-winner for the Mumbai Indians. He had taken up a lot of responsibility for their batting. And, it is not that he plays at the strike-rate of 100. If you see his strike-rate, he starts hitting from the first ball itself,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying to Star Sports.

“It is difficult to stop him, as he has all types of shots. He hits overs covers, plays the sweep also well, plays spin very well, plays fast bowling amazingly well. He is the Indian AB de Villiers,” added Harbhajan.

“I feel he should have been selected for the Indian team. It didn’t happen, but he is not far away. He is an unbelievable player. The sort of batting Suryakumar Yadav has done, he has attracted everyone towards him,” Bhajji concluded.

Suryakumar has impressive stats in the domestic circuit, having scored more than 10,000 runs across formats, and possesses an average of more than 30 in all. Being an all-rounder, he is a useful bowler as well.