‘He scores 360 degrees around the ground’: Ricky Ponting compares Team India star to AB de Villiers

The legendary Ricky Ponting has lavished praise on Team India’s star batter Suryakumar Yadav hailing him for his ability to play shots 360 degrees around the ground. The former Australia skipper believes Surykumar should be India’s number four at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia this year.

Suryakumar has been a prolific run-getter for India in limited-overs cricket ever since making his debut for the Men in Blue last year. He was selected in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2021 last year owing to his consistency, however, the right-hand batter failed to live up to the expectations as India bowed out from the group stage.

However, he has once again been consistent with the willow in the run-up to the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year and looks set to be part of India’s squad for the showpiece event. Ponting believes Suryakumar should be part of India’s playing XI if he is picked and that fans in Australia will enjoy his batting.

“He’s a very, very exciting player and I’m sure someone that’s going to find himself in their team, not just their squad,” Ponting said on the latest episode of The ICC Review.

“I think you’d find him in their team for the T20 World Cup. And if he’s in that team, then I think all the fans in Australia are going to see a very, very good player. He’s quite a confident person. He backs himself and he’s never going to step down from a challenge or any situation that arises in a game. I feel he thinks he can win that situation and therefore go on and win the game for his team,” the former Australia captain added.

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Ponting went on to compare Suryakumar with South African great AB de Villiers, who was known for his wide range of shots. The former Australia captain believes Surykumar has a similar range as a batter and can play a variety of strokes to send the ball to all parts of the ground.

“Surya (Yadav) scores 360 degrees around the ground, a bit like an AB de Villiers did when he was in his actual prime. The lap shots, the late cuts, you know, the ramps over the keeper’s head. He can hit down the ground,” Ponting said.

“He hits really well over the leg side, flicks to deep backward square particularly well, and he’s a good player of fast bowling and is a good player of spin bowling,” he added.

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Suryakumar has so far played 13 ODIs and 23 T20Is for India, amassing 340 and 672 runs in the two formats respectively. He averages 37.33 in T20Is and has struck at an impressive 175.45. Suryakumar is also among the elite list of batters to have scored a century for India in T20Is.