IND vs BAN: Suryakumar Yadav Can Play All Three Formats; He Is Different – Ravi Shastri Hails World No.1 T20I Batter

Former India National Cricket Team head coach Ravi Shastri lavished praise on the No.1 ranked batter in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, Suryakumar Yadav, and said that he can thrive in all three formats of the game.

On Wednesday, November 2, the star middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav, who has dominated the 20-over format for quite some time, dethroned the Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan to become the world No.1 T20I batter. He now has 863 rating points.

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Speaking ahead of the India-Bangladesh World Cup clash, former India head coach Shastri said that Suryakumar can become a three-format player for India. The 60-year-old also highlighted the “great ability” of the star middle-order batter.

“He can play all three formats of the game and the reason I say that is that he is different,” Shastri said in Adelaide ahead of India’s clash against Bangladesh at the ICC T20 World Cup.

“You don’t get too many players who can hit spots the way he does. He hits it into unusual areas he gets into unusual positions and it is literally a challenge to the bowler as to where he can bowl.

“His great ability is to read what length the bowler is bowling, he anticipates early and he backs himself and very few players go out with that kind of mindset.”

He Is Lighting Up This World Cup – Ravi Shastri On Suryakumar Yadav

Shastri further praised Suryakumar’s remarkable shot-making ability and said that he is “lighting up” the World Cup. The ex-India head coach was also impressed with Suryakumar’s performance in the game against South Africa in Perth.

“He is lighting up this World Cup and he is playing shots which 10 years ago no one would have imagined,” Shastri noted.

“The way he used that pace and bounce in Perth. He sussed the conditions, and it suited his game and I think his eyes will light up every time he goes to play in Australia as there is pace, there is bounce, and he likes to use the pace and bounce.”

Notably, the Indian batters, except Suryakumar Yadav, struggled against the Proteas’ pace attack on the bouncy surface. Suryakumar Yadav scored 68 runs off 40 balls, including 6 fours and 3 sixes, while the rest of the batters scored 57 runs off 80 balls.

“There will be a lot of youngsters wanting to emulate him. Just watching the way he moves and the areas he tries to hit…he is a proper 360-degree player. He is someone who can puncture any part of the ground,” Shastri further said.

Also Read: IND vs SA: “Woh Bowler Ke Dimag Ke Saath Bhi Khel Sakta Hai” – Shoaib Malik’s Ultimate Praise For Suryakumar Yadav