'They're both really aggressive, don't let bowlers settle': De Villiers compares 19-year-old prodigy to Suryakumar Yadav
The comparisons between Suryakumar and de Villiers have been rife, but what if we were to tell you that of all people, ABD has identified a youngster in whom he sees shades of SKY? Yes, you read that right.
Suryakumar Yadav's rise in international cricket has been next to no other. The India batter, since making his debut in early 2021 has gone on a rampage ever since. 2022 was the year for Suryakumar as not only did he amass over 1100 runs in T20Is including two centuries but also became the world's No. 1-ranked batter in the format. It's been almost four months since SKY reached the pinnacle and he has maintained his position at the top by starting year 2023 on a breath-raking note as well. Over the last one year, Surya's meteoric rise has earned him the moniker Mr. 360 degree, a moniker that the great AB de Villiers carried through his career.
The comparisons between Suryakumar and de Villiers have been rife, but what if we were to tell you that of all people, ABD has identified a youngster in whom he sees shades of SKY? Yes, you read that right. De Villiers feels 19-year-old Dewald Brevis, nicknamed Baby AB, through his batting has displayed certain traits familiar to Suryakumar and even spotted some similarities between the two.
"There are certainly similarities in the way that they approach the game. They're both really aggressive, they want to take the bowlers on and they don’t let the bowlers settle. Dewald is obviously a lot younger and has still got a lot to learn, whereas SKY is experienced these days. He come a long way having performed well for the Mumbai Indians at the IPL. But they both excite me a lot," de Villiers wrote in his blog for Betway.
While Suryakumar has set the stage on fire with his string of impressive performances, scoring a century and two half-centuries already to kick off the year, Brevis too spiced up the inaugural edition of the SA20. Resembling a stance that is a spitting image of the one and only de Villiers, Brevis scored 235 runs in 10 innings with one half-centuries for MI Cape Town, the sister franchise of IPL behemoths Mumbai Indians, where he and Suryakumar Yadav were teammates and will share the dressing room again as a fresh season starts March 31.
Brevis was 18 when he was paid a handsome sum of ₹3 crore by MI at last year's IPL mega auction. This was right after he had set the Under19 World Cup ablaze, emerging as the highest-scorer of the tournament with 506 runs from only six innings to show for his fabulous effort. He then played seven matches for MI, scoring 161 runs and picking up a wicket. This year, MI would be hoping for the SKY-Baby AB pair to go on a rampage as they look to secure a record-extending sixth IPL title.
