'We have our own AB de Villiers': Suryakumar Yadav gets pat on the back ahead of India's T20 World Cup campaign

AB de Villiers with Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav (Photos by PTI)

MUMBAI: Out of form and without a half-century in 2025, India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav has received a strong vote of confidence from not only the national selectors but also former India off-spin great Harbhajan Singh. Suryakumar has managed 218 runs in 19 T20I innings this year, averaging 13.62 with a strike rate of 123.16. However, Harbhajan, who claimed 417 wickets in 103 Tests, continues to rate the 35-year-old as the “No 1 player in T20Is” and has backed the Mumbai batter “to come good for India in the World Cup.” Suryakkumar last registered a T20I fifty in October 2024, when he struck 75 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad.

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“Maybe, he is saving it for the World Cup. Surya is a class player. There is no doubt about it. I still believe that he is probably the No.1 player in this format. People often talk about how great AB de Villiers is, but we have our own guy who does the same job. And I do back him to come good for India in this World Cup. Not just as a captain, but as a batter. I am hoping for some big runs from him,” Harbhajan said at an event on Wednesday. A member of India’s World Cup-winning squads in 2007 and 2011 under MS Dhoni, Harbhajan expressed confidence that India can defend their T20 World Cup title when the tournament begins next month in India and Sri Lanka. On the pressure of playing a World Cup at home, Harbhajan said, “Playing international cricket itself is a pressure. It doesn't matter where you play. It’s kind of a blessing to play in front of your home crowd, in your backyard. You know your condition better than the others, and the support you get is unbelievable.” He added, “I think this team has got everything… They are match-winners. We hope that this trophy will (stay) in India. (If it happens) it will be the first time that the Indian team would win the trophy twice in a row (in 2024 and 2026). It will be fun.” Harbhajan also disagreed with Sanjay Manjrekar’s recent remark that Virat Kohli had chosen “the easiest format to play.” “If it was so easy to score runs in any format, then everyone would have made it. Let’s just enjoy what people are doing. They are playing well, winning games, scoring runs, and taking wickets. That's all that matters. It doesn't matter who plays which format. Virat, whether he plays in one format or all formats, has been a fantastic player and a big time match winner for India,” Harbhajan said, praising Kohli’s impact across formats. The former spinner also lamented the lack of quality off-spinners in Indian cricket, calling the art “old-fashioned” and stressing the need for specialists to emerge from domestic cricket.

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