Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has expressed his delight over the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav in Team India’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 squad. Yadav, a standout performer in T20I cricket and the current leader in T20I batter rankings, has earned praise from de Villiers, who is hopeful that Yadav will excel in the 50-over format.
AB de Villiers, a big fan of Yadav’s style of play, sees similarities between their approaches to T20 cricket. He believes that Yadav has the ability to make the transition to ODI cricket and hopes he gets the opportunity to shine in the World Cup.
“I am relieved to see SKY in the World Cup squad. You guys know I am a big fan. He plays in a similar fashion to how I used to in T20 cricket. He hasn’t cracked ODI cricket yet, but it’s a tiny mind switch that he has got to make. He has all the ability to do it, and I hope he gets his opportunity in the World Cup,” AB de Villiers commented on his YouTube channel.
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De Villiers also had words of praise for Sanju Samson, reminiscing about Samson’s sensational knock of 92* off 45 balls against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) season when he played for the franchise.
“I have been at the receiving end at Chinnaswamy Stadium for RCB during his (Samson) hundred (92*) with the ball flying all over the place. He has all the shots as well, and it’s all about the mind and adjusting to ODI cricket,” added the legendary wicketkeeper-batter.
Despite his impressive performances, Samson was once again left out of the national side and will not feature in the upcoming ODI World Cup. India’s campaign in the tournament begins against five-time champions Australia on October 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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India squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj
