Veteran New Zealand pacer Tim Southee feels it will be too early to label Suryakumar Yadav as the best Indian cricketer in T20s.
Suryakumar has been in great form with the bat for the past 12 months, and on Sunday (November 20), he smashed his second T20I hundred to help Team India beat New Zealand by 65 runs in the second T20I at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui.
Following yet another mind-blowing innings (111*), many have been hailing Suryakumar as one of the best T20I cricketers the world has seen, with some labeling the star batter as the best Indian batter in the format, but Southee felt the latter hasn’t yet reached the level.
The veteran pacer said that Suryakumar will have to consistently do what he has been doing for the past 12 months to prove himself as India’s best in T20Is.
Tim Southee said when he was asked if Suryakumar is the best ever Indian player he has bowled to in T20Is: “There has been a number of great T20 players from India, so many great cricketers.”
He continued, “Surya has been having a great 12 months and it is for him to continue to do what he has been doing (for over a period of time). India has produced so many amazing cricketers not only in T20 format but also across the three formats.
You have got so many players who have played for a long period of time and have achieved so much over a long period of time. He is a player who can hit in a number of ways. He has been in great form in the last 12 months — IPL and international cricket. He came up with a very impressive knock today.”
Meanwhile, Southee also took his second hat-trick in T20Is after dismissing Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda, and Hardik Pandya on the trot in the second match, and he felt lucky to be able to do that. The 33-year-old now has 132 wickets from 106 T20Is to his name.
He said the same, “I was a bit lucky there, bowling the last over, it’s a nice feeling. Sometimes you bowled really well but don’t get the rewards, but today (it was different). It’s part of the game.”
Southee also opined on players playing in damp conditions, “It’s never ideal (with wet balls), but it is the same for both the teams. You have to adapt to the conditions.”
He signed off by saying on his team’s 65-run defeat in the second T20I, “Chasing that kind of a total, you needed a decent partnership at some stage. Another day, you would have got two or three early wickets (in the India innings).”
(With PTI Inputs)
