The praises for India batter Suryakumar Yadav continue to pour in after he hit his third T20I century in the recent third and final match against Sri Lanka in Rajkot and helped the Men in Blue win the match and the series.
The latest to laud Suryakumar is India’s first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev. He lauded the Mumbai batter, whose unbeaten 112 off just 51 deliveries helped India put up 228/5 in 20 overs, which helped them win the match by 91 runs as Sri Lanka could only manage 137 runs in reply.
India also won the three-T20I series 2-1 to continue their unbeaten streak at home.
Legendary allrounder Kapil Dev says he’s lost for words and said Suryakumar’s range has made life difficult for the bowlers.
“There are times when you are lost for words on how to describe this. When you watch Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, you think about whether there will be a player who can convince you that he’s at the same level as these. There’s an abundance of talent in India. And the kind of cricket he plays, especially the lap shot over the fine leg. What does a bowler do then? They are afraid of bowling him full - he can hit you over mid-on, can flick you for a six. It becomes difficult for a bowler. He consistently keeps on picking line and length. He’s toying with the bowlers,” Kapil told ABP News.
“It’s rare to see someone strike this way. I have seen amazing players like AB de Villiers, Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Ricky Ponting but few can hit the ball as cleanly as Suryakumar. Hats off to him!" Kapil said.
He continued, “Suryakumar Yadav is playing with the mindset of the players. In tennis, you try to predict whether the service will land to your right or left. He can judge early where the bowler is about to land. Few players have this god-gifted ability to play like this. It’s not easy. Players like him come once in a century."
Suryakumar Yadav will next be seen in action in the three-ODI series against Sri Lanka which begins on January 10 in Guwahati.
