'He is India's 360-degree player': Parthiv draws similarity between AB de Villiers and 'versatile' batting star

India on Sunday overtook England as the world's number-ranked T20 team after the Rohit Sharma-led unit defeated West Indies by 17 runs to sweep the series 3-0.

As India recorded a 3-0 win over listless West Indies in the T20I series, a couple of players managed to reinforce the middle order, which has been the team's Achilles heel in the past couple of years. The current crop of batters, however, exudes the confidence of putting up a good show in this year's T20 World Cup. The new team management with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid at the helm will be looking to nail down the winning combination before the T20 spectacle in Australia, and the present squad has many great picks to choose from.

Parthiv Patel draws similarity between AB de Villiers and 'versatile' batting star (AP Photo)

Suryakumar Yadav has been one such player who has been a crucial part of the batting order since breaking into the national set-up. A late bloomer with wide array of shots, Suryakumar hit 65 in the third and final T20I against West Indies, helping India win the series 3-0 after they inflicted a whitewash against the tourists in the ODIs as well.

The 31-year-old Suryakumar has already notched up four half-centuries 12 innings and former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel feels the skilled right-handed batter has shaded of South African batting star AB de Villiers, who was known for his 360-degree batting approach and understanding of the game.

"We've been talking about Suryakumar being versatile and having a good understanding of the game while coming in at the No. 5 position. His knock in the final T20I didn't come under easy conditions as it was a sticky wicket. Rohit didn't manage to score runs but Suryakumar started well and stayed till the end. A set batter at the death is always dangerous... and it becomes difficult for a bowler to deliver under pressure. He's India's 360-degree player like AB de Villiers," Parthiv told Cricbuzz.

Suryakumar came in to bat at the halfway mark when India had lost three wickets for 66 at the halfway mark. He went on to score his fourth T20I fifty in 27 balls and finished with seven sixes including three in the final over that cost West Indies 21 runs. The Mumbai Indians (MI) recruit found support in Venkatesh Iyer, who hit four fours and two sixes during his 19-ball. The Suryakumar-Venkatesh pair plundered 86 runs off the last 30 deliveries to help India score an intimidating 184 for five on the scoreboard.

Suryakumar was named the player of the match and series as well. And considering his batting prowess in limited-overs cricket, the sleek batter could definitely be in the scheme of things for both the upcoming World Cups. He finished with 109 runs in three innings in the T20I series against the West Indies, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 194.55.

“I just wanted to replicate what I did in the first game. We needed someone to stay there after Rohit Sharma got out," he said as he reflected on his explosive 65-run knock on Sunday. “We had a long chat in the team meeting as to how we are going to react under immense pressure and it came out very well. I just try to keep things simple.”