WI vs IND 2022: Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel lauded the performance of Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 76 runs and won the match for India in the third Twenty20 International against the West Indies on August 2.
Surya hit some amazing strokes and really messed with both the playing surface and the heads of the bowlers. Patel drew parallels between Yadav’s ability to play shots around the field and that of the South African superstar AB de Villiers.
WI vs IND 2022: What did Parthiv Patel say about Suryakumar Yadav?
When both were playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, the former wicketkeeper and AB de Villiers were in the same team and shared the same dressing room. After the match, Patel gave an interview to Cricbuzz in which he discussed how the strategy used by Yadav is comparable to that of De Villiers. He said:
“Yadav is the only one who can pull off these high-risk shoots as well as he can. When playing Twenty20 cricket, you have to be willing to take risks, and the only way to do so is to have the type of self-assurance that Suryakumar Yadav has in his cricketing skills.”
Clinical performance 🇮🇳💪 pic.twitter.com/faKuDQlnLl
— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) August 3, 2022
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The 37-year-old man continued, saying:Â “No matter what you bowl, I will play based on the field and not the bowler. This is somewhat similar to the approach that AB de Villiers used to use. He never stops keeping his eyes on the ball and always gets into position much ahead.”
Surya was in scintillating form in the third T20I
Patel feels Suryakumar Yadav boasts a unique skill that enables him to strike the same ball to two separate locations on the ground. He concluded that when anything like this occurs, bowlers are unable to come up with answers and, as a result, wind up being hit when they aren’t accurate. Patel made the following observation on the swashbuckling right-hander:Â “I have a theory that says a guy is the most difficult batter to bowl to if he can smash you over fine leg, as well as over long off and covers.”
He proceeded by saying:Â “You should bowl outside off against a batter who has a good leg-side game and can knock you over fine leg or mid-wicket when he is at the crease. However, if he hits you over mid-off or covers, then there is no room for error and the game is over.”
Another audacious attempt brings curtain to a delightful knock…
Surya Kumar Yadav …. you beauty..!#WIvIND #INDvWI #SuryakumarYadav #Jadeja #RohitSharma #Iyerpic.twitter.com/yzP4u5eYvk— OneCricket (@OneCricketApp) August 2, 2022
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There were suggestions for Yadav to be played further down the order after he scored just 35 runs throughout the first two Twenty20 Internationals that were played against the West Indies. On the other hand, he was in top form during the third match, which enabled India to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
It will be interesting to see whether the Men in Blue view batting Yadav at the top of the order in Twenty20 Internationals as a viable option for the long term.
