AB de Villiers said, “Never thought Suryakumar had this kind of game, he never showed it before”

After the Indian’s fireworks display against Zimbabwe at the MCG, AB de Villiers and Suryakumar Yadav had a nice interaction on social media in which the latter argued that AB still reigns as the maestro of 360-degree play and he is simply the apprentice.

That didn’t sit well with the South African, who said, “You’re quickly getting their buddy and even more.”

The South African batting master had to witness Yadav’s tremendously significant World Cup performance before he could come to this conclusion. “I didn’t anticipate it when I first saw him perform. On the sidelines of an upcoming franchise event called India Super League, de Villiers told reporters that the man was “extremely cautious and didn’t attempt enough things. He always sought to consolidate. I had no idea he could play this kind of game. He was never present to demonstrate it.

Yadav might now be reaching his full potential. But his ten years of domestic success, his brief appearances for Kolkata Knight Riders, and the pivotal 2018 IPL campaign where he opened and scored 512 runs for Mumbai Indians all went unnoticed. Yadav gave de Villiers the idea that he was an “almost sluggish kind of hitter who would look to consolidate” at initially.

Yadav, 32,’s talent was almost equally overlooked by the national selection committee. For a cricket player on the cusp of selection, there might be a lesson in this: never quit. Yadav’s father frequently brought up the example of Michael Hussey, an Australian who played 79 Tests after making his debut at age 30.

No time is ever too late. The fact that Yadav was persistent and prepared to put in the work was crucial, the man remarked. He remarked, “All right guys, I know what I am doing, I am an experienced player, after laying that strong foundation for a year or two. I’ll demonstrate my character to you; it was lovely to watch.

In the World Cup, Yadav is scoring at the highest strike rate (194) among players who have faced at least 50 balls. He scored 68 (40) on a fast, bouncy Perth wicket against South African quicks, and his unbeaten 25-ball 61 torched Zimbabwe’s death bowlers. Yadav is the only player to have scored 1026 runs in T2OIs this year.