Published 18:29 IST, November 13th 2020
Harbhajan Singh names the 'Indian version' of AB de Villiers, says 'He is unbelievable'
Equating Suryakumar Yadav with former South Africa batsman AB de Villiers, Harbhajan Singh remarked that the Mumbai batsman is an 'Indian version' of Mr 360.
Heaping praise upon Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav, veteran Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has remarked that the number three batsman has transformed himself to a 'primary match-winner' for the franchise. Yadav, had another stellar season with Mumbai in the IPL 2020, as he led the franchise to its fifth title victory in the UAE this year. Equating Suryakumar Yadav with former South Africa batsman AB de Villiers, Harbhajan Singh remarked that the Mumbai batsman is an 'Indian version' of Mr 360.
“It is difficult to stop him (Suryakumar Yadav) 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,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.
'He is an unbelievable player'
“There is no doubt that Suryakumar Yadav has transformed himself from being the game-changer to a primary match-winner for the Mumbai Indians. He had taken up a lot of responsibility for their batting. And it is not that he plays at the strike rate of 100, if you see his strike rate, he starts hitting from the first ball itself,” he added.
The veteran offie also expressed displeasure at Suryakumar Yadav's snub from the Indian team for the Australia tour. Asserting that the Mumbai batsman should have been selected, Harbhajan said, "It didn’t happen but he is not far away. He is an unbelievable player. The sort of batting Suryakumar Yadav has done, he has attracted everyone towards him.”
Amassing 480 runs in the IPL 2020, Suryakumar Yadav has now become the only uncapped Indian player to have crossed 2000 runs in the IPL. The number three batsman also smashed 400+ runs for the third consecutive year in the tournament after scoring 424 in 2019 and 512 in 2018. Yadav's snub by Team India selectors attracted severe criticism.
Mumbai successfully retain IPL title
Delhi were reduced to 22/3 after winning the toss and electing to bat first in their maiden final appearance. Skipper Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant then added 96 runs for the fourth-wicket stand. Skipper Iyer remained unbeaten and played a crucial knock of a 50-ball 65 as Delhi finished their innings at 156/7 from their 20 overs in the IPL finale on Tuesday. In reply, Iyer's opposite number Rohit Sharma successfully anchored Mumbai's run chase as he toyed around with the Delhi bowlers by smashing them to all parts of the ground. The 'Hitman' played a spectacular knock of a 51-ball 68 at a strike rate of 133.33 including five boundaries and four maximums.
Updated 18:29 IST, November 13th 2020