Suryakumar Yadav is a once in a century player: Kapil Dev

The highest compliment a batter can receive is to have one of the best players of all time list them among other greats like Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, or Virat Kohli. These are players who have not only produced tons of records to put their names at the leading positions on the charts but also changed the way the game is played.

Suryakumar Yadav has also improved, according to Indian cricketing icon Kapil Dev, who praised the Indian batter dubbing him as a "once in a century" player. The 32-year-old put up a massive show on display against Sri Lanka in the third T20I in Rajkot on Saturday, where he notched up an unbeaten 51-ball 112* which helped India clinch a series win.

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain was completely speechless when asked about Suryakumar's performance and instead compared his batting acumen to that of icons like Sachin, Richards, Kohli, and Ricky Ponting.

“Sometimes I am at a loss of words on how to describe his knock. When we see Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, we feel that someday there will be a player who will compel us to think he is also part of that list. There is indeed a lot of talent in India. And the kind of cricket he plays, that lap shot the one over fine leg, then that leaves the bowler frightened because he can stand and hit a six over mid-on and mid-wicket,” he said while speaking to ABP News.

Very few can hit the ball as cleanly as him: Kapil Dev

Calling him a once-in-a-century batter, Kapil Dev lavished praises on Suryakumar Yadav’s ability to get big scores consistently. He also went on to compare him with AB de Villiers, Tendulkar, Kohli, and Ponting, saying that all of them are legendary players but not everyone possesses the ability to hit the ball as cleanly as Suryakumar does.

“That is what makes it difficult for the bowlers because he is able to pick the line and length consistently. I have seen great batters like De Villiers, Vivian Richards, Sachin, Virat, and Ricky Ponting, but very few can hit the ball as cleanly as him. Hats off to Suryakumar Yadav. These kinds of players come only once in a century,” he added.

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