After an underwhelming Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign, Suryakumar Yadav has resumed his domination in the shortest format of the game.
In the absence of injured Hardik Pandya, Surya is leading the Indian team in the ongoing five-T20I series against Australia at home.
The dashing right-hander slammed 80 off 42 balls (9 fours and 4 sixes) in the opening T20I in Vizag and followed it with a cameo of 10-ball 19 (2 sixes) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Suryakumar’s recent exploits have reignited comparison talks with South African legend AB de Villiers, who was known for his 360-degree hitting abilities.
In fact, some have also labelled Yadav as a new “Universe Boss” for his utter dominance in T20 cricket. However, Chris Gayle – the self-proclaimed “Universe Boss” – didn't seem to like the comparison.
"No, there's no other Gayle. There will never ever be another Gayle. There will never ever be. It's only going to be one Universe Boss, just one," Gayle told Hindustan Times on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket 2023.
On a separate note, Gayle lauded Rohit Sharma’s aggressive batting in the recently held World Cup and congratulated the Indian skipper for breaking his record for most sixes in international cricket.
"I like his aggressive batting. I want batters to destroy bowlers, and Rohit is one of them who does that."
Gayle was also effusive in praise of India’s star batter Virat Kohli, who surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI tons during the World Cup 2023.
“When I was playing for RCB, he was already phenomenal, even in ODI cricket. It was no secret back then. It was all right there in front of all of us, and from there to see him get to the 50th century in ODI cricket, that's unbelievable. To break a legend's record like Sachin, that's fantastic. We have to give the guy as much credit he deserves. That's phenomenal. And I don't see anyone getting close to that or breaking that," Gayle remarked.