'I've seen great players like Viv Richards, Sachin, Kohli... but he's once in a century batter': Kapil Dev on India star
The ultimate praise for a batter comes when one of the greatest players of all time holds one's name along with batters like Vivian Richards or Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli.
The ultimate praise for a batter comes when one of the greatest players of all time holds one's name along with batters like Vivian Richards or Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli. These are players who haven't just scripted plethora of records to find their name at the top of the charts, but have also redefined the game. And so has Suryakumar Yadav, feels India legend Kapil Dev, who hailed the India batter as a 'once in a century' cricketer.
Kapil's comment cam shortly after Suryakumar's thunderous knock of 112 runs off 51 balls against Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I match of the series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. The India No.4 helped the team amass a colossal 228 for the loss of five wickets before the bowlers folded the visitors for just 137 runs.
Speaking to ABP News, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain was at complete loss of words over Suryakumar's knock and rather compared his batting prowess to legends like Sachin, Richards, Kohli, Ricky Ponting.
"Sometimes I am at loss of words on how to describe his knock. When we see Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, we feel someday there will be a player who will compel us to think he is also part of that list. There is indeed a lot of talent in India. And the kind of cricket he plays, that lap shot the one over fine leg, then that leaves the bowler frightened because he can stand and hit a six over mid-on and mid-wicket," Kapil added.
"That is what makes it difficult for the bowlers because he is able to pick the line and length consistently. I have seen great batters like De Villiers, Vivian Richards, Sachin, Virat, Ricky Ponting, but very few can hit the ball as cleanly as him. Hats off to Suryakumar Yadav. These kind of players come only once in a century."
If after Rohit and Kohli, there is one present-day India batter who captivates the imagination of cricket fans in the country, it's Surya. Ever since his India debut in 2021, SKY has turned into a magnificent batting sensation. Tendulkar had 1998, while Kohli had 2016. For Suryakumar, it was 2022 when the India batter went on a rampage piling over 1100 runs en route to becoming the world's No. 1-ranked T20I batter and has held on to the position ever since.
In July, he smacked his maiden T20I ton for India scoring 117 against England in Nottingham and followed it up with another scintillating century against New Zealand just four months later. And then, there was a third, the second-fastest T20I ton by an Indian. Suryakumar is now just behind Rohit for the highest T20I centuries scored by a batter for India.
