'The Indian AB de Villiers', Harbhajan praises Suryakumar Yadav
Indian legend Harbhajan Singh recently highlighted the the performances of Suryakumar Yadav in the IPL. Speaking on Star Sports, Harbhajan termed him as "India's AB de Villiers". Notably, Suryakumar was a vital cog in Mumbai Indians set-up during the recently concluded Indian Premier League. His pivotal knocks proved instrumental as the Mumbai-based franchise won their fifth IPL title. Here is more.
Why did Harbhajan compare him with AB?
"It is difficult to stop him as he has all types of shots. He hits overs covers, plays the sweep also well, plays spin very well, plays fast bowling amazingly well. He is the Indian AB de Villiers," remarked Harbhajan.
'He has transformed into a match-winner', adds Harbhajan
Harbhajan feels Suryakumar has transformed into a match-winner. "There is no doubt that he has transformed himself from being the game-changer to a primary match-winner. He had taken up a lot of responsibility of their batting," he said. "It's not that he plays at the strike rate of 100, if you see his strike rate, he starts hitting from the first ball itself."
IPL 2020: Third-most runs for Mumbai Indians
This was the third consecutive season where Suryakumar grabbed eyeballs with his astonishing run. In 2018, he became the leading run-getter (512) among Indian uncapped players, a record which Ishan Kishan broke this season. Moreover, the former also amassed 424 and 480 runs in the following two editions. His tally of 61 fours remained the second-highest after Shikhar Dhawan (67), in 2020.
Suryakumar couldn't find a spot in the Indian squad
Despite his blistering show, Suryakumar failed to claim a spot in the Indian squads for the Australian tour. The Indian selectors faced backlash after not including him for the same. Notably, Harbhajan had also questioned his omission on Twitter.
Suryakumar was acquired by Mumbai Indians in 2018
Suryakumar was released by Kolkata Knight Riders after the 2017 season. He was later acquired by Mumbai Indians for a whopping price of Rs. 3.20 crores, at the 2018 auction. Recently, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said letting him go was KKR's "biggest loss".
Suryakumar is now the mainstay number three batsman for Mumbai
In the IPL 2020, Suryakumar registered his career-best average of 40.00, while his strike-rate read 145.01. He also recorded four 50+ scores in the season. His scores in tournament are: 19, 51, 36, 12*, 79*, 40, 0, 10, 53, 79*, 27, 10, 0, 47, and 17. It is safe to say that Suryakumar is the now the mainstay number three batsman for Mumbai Indians.
