Mumbai: Former South Africa quick Dale Steyn feels the pace and bounce on Australian pitches will suit Suryakumar Yadav’s 360-degree game, making him India’s go-to player in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Following a hattrick of half-centuries in the bilateral home series against Australia, the Mumbaikar continued his red-hot form Down Under as he slammed a 35-ball 53 in India’s 13-run win over Western Australia in a practice match here on Monday.
“He is a wonderful 360-degree player, and reminds me of AB de Villiers. He could be India’s version of AB de Villiers and with the red-hot form that he’s in right now, he’s a player to definitely watch out for this World Cup,” Steyn said on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Live’.
Steyn went on to explain how the Australian conditions would be just perfect for the Indian No. 4 to hit top-gear.
The Rohit Sharma-led side will face Australia on October 17 at the Gabba in the official warm-up game before taking on Pakistan in their tournament opener on October 23.
“He’s the kind of player that likes to use the pace of the ball. He likes to get in behind the square. In places like Perth, Melbourne, all of these grounds, there is a little bit of extra pace on it.
“So, you can use the pace, you can hit on fine leg, behind and all along the carpet. And he’s also really good when standing still and getting off the back foot.
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“He has played some amazing back foot cover drives and some beautiful cover drives off the front foot too. So, he’s an all-round player, and it’s in Australia, where the wickets are so good, they are batter friendly.
“You can also get away when a bowler tries to bowl full, you can place the ball left and you can use the pace of the ball really well, given some room,” he added.
While India’s first-choice white ball players are in Australia, Team India under Shikhar Dhawan outclassed South Africa 2-1 in the one-day series that concluded in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Shreyas Iyer, who was named vice-captain in the series, continued his dream run in the ODIs as he amassed 191 runs from three innings to top the charts.
Heaping praise on Iyer, Steyn said: “There’s just little things you can do to improve your game, but the way he’s batting at the moment, I don’t think he has to change much.
“He looks in phenomenal form. He’s seeing the ball like it’s a beach ball and for him in India, that’s continued a long way,” Steyn added.