AB de Villiers' heartwarming response to Suryakumar Yadav's "There is only one Mr. 360" remark
India will lock horns with England in the second semi-final on Friday (November 10) at the Adelaide Oval. For India, it was once again star middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav who played yet another blistering innings to help India register a big win.
He scored his third half-century of the tournament and scored an unbeaten 61* off 25 balls, including six boundaries and four maximums, to help India reach a target of 186/5 in their first innings, which proved to be more than enough for them. In reply, Zimbabwe was dismissed for 115 in 18.1 overs.
SKY scored a 23-ball fifty, completed 1000 T20I runs in 2022, and is also the leading run-scorer in 2022. He played shots all around the stadium. Especially the scoops he played behind the wicket were a treat to watch for the 80,000 spectators on the ground.
He showed his full range of shots and also proved why he is called "Mr. 360." Some of his shots behind the wicket reminded me of the way AB de Villiers used to play. In the post-match presentation, he was asked about his comparison with De Villiers, and he came up with a humble reply.
Suryakumar said, "There is only one 360-degree player in the world, and I will try to play like him."
Suryakumar Yadav reacts to comparisons with AB de Villiers.@surya_14kumar | @ABdeVilliers17 | #INDvZIM | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/an9464SpaD
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) November 6, 2022
Suryakumar's reply went viral, and AB de Villiers himself came up with a heartwarming response to it. The former South African legend praised the Indian batter and congratulated him for his match-winning knock against Zimbabwe.
You’re very quickly getting there dude, and even more! Well played today
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 6, 2022
Speaking of the game, India won the toss and chose to bat first. KL Rahul gave India a good start and scored his second consecutive half-century. He made 51 off 35 balls, including three fours and three sixes. India scored 79 runs in the last five overs, courtesy of Suryakumar Yadav.
Chasing the target, India put pressure on Zimbabwe from the very first over, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a wicket maiden. India didn't allow Zimbabwe to score freely and bowled them out for 115 runs. Ravi Ashwin picked up three wickets, while Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya picked up two wickets each.