Suryakumar a trailblazer, will result in international revolution in T20 cricket, says Ponting

Mythical Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has referred to as India middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav a trailblazer, who may encourage a brand new breed of avid gamers to emulate his taste of play and take T20 cricket to “every other degree” globally.

Suryakumar, 32, used to be not too long ago named the ICC Males’s T20I Cricketer of the 12 months after he was best the second one batter on the planet to attain 1000-plus runs in a calendar 12 months within the shortest layout of the sport.

Surya scored two centuries and 9 half-tons on approach to accumulating 1,164 runs in 2022, best moment in the back of Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, who leads the charts with 1,326 runs in 2021.

“I believe innovation-wise, skill-wise, I haven’t noticed a greater participant (than Suryakumar) within the recreation,” Ponting instructed ICC on Friday.

“What it’s going to do as neatly, numerous different avid gamers are going to check out and do the issues he’s doing, and it’s going so as to add every other degree of means to the T20 recreation everywhere in the international,” he added.

“Any individual stated all through the IPL this 12 months (2022), there are going to be guys who’re going to check out and just do the similar as what Surya’s doing, and that’s going to be nice for the sport,” added the Australian nice.

Surya’s 1,100-plus runs ultimate 12 months got here in 31 T20Is at an astonishing strike price of 187.43 and a median of 46.56, which additionally propelled him to the highest of the ICC Males’s T20I Batting Ratings.

Ponting often known as the Indian cricketer, the best innovator within the shortest model, when put next his taste of batting with South African white-ball specialist AB de Villiers and previous Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist.

“He’s almost definitely doing it higher than any person’s ever completed it at the moment. We discuss avid gamers that may ranking 360 levels … probably the most pictures he’s hitting again in the back of the wicket-keeper and over high-quality leg are simply outstanding.” Ponting stated he spotted Surya’s innate skill a couple of years again within the IPL the place he used to be making flicking the ball over the deep-backward sq. glance really easy.

The previous skipper added that the batter has taken his stroke-play to every other degree and is enjoying some truly audacious pictures like flicking quick balls for sixes over the wicket-keeper’s head.

“5 – 6 years in the past, he began doing that (innovating) so much within the IPL. He used to be superb at flicking the ball over deep-backward sq. and getting the ball over fine-leg,” Ponting stated.

“Surya’s now been ready to hit quick balls at the means up and flick quick balls over the keeper’s head and so they’re going for 6, no longer only for 4,” Ponting stated that to begin with, he idea Suryakumar would by no means contact such heights, however his paintings ethic and strenuous routine have led to his good fortune.

The cricketer scored the third-most runs on the T20 Global Cup – 239 – in Australia, which used to be best in the back of Virat Kohli (296) and the Dutchman Max O’Dowd (242).

He then persisted the nice paintings within the T20I collection towards New Zealand and Sri Lanka to climb to the second-highest T20 batting score ever recorded – 908 issues.

“I didn’t assume he’d get to the extent he’s were given to, to be relatively truthful,” Ponting stated.

“He’s labored as laborious as he has — you’ll be able to almost definitely inform by means of his frame form. He’s almost definitely healthier than he’s ever been, being across the Indian arrange with the likes of Kohli and Shreyas Iyer and those guys, who’re exceptionally are compatible younger guys.”