AB de Villiers, one of the most revered white-ball cricketers in history, continues to inspire the next generation — including India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. Known for his audacious stroke play and innovation, the South African great left a lasting legacy in T20 cricket, yet his record in ODIs arguably stands even taller. With an average of over 53 and a strike rate exceeding a run a ball, de Villiers remains one of the format’s most complete batters.It was this reputation that led Suryakumar Yadav to name de Villiers as the one cricketer he would most like to seek advice from. In a recent interview with journalist Vimal Kumar, India’s own “Mr. 360” admitted that he has struggled to replicate his T20 success in ODIs and would love to learn from the South African legend on how to balance both formats effectively.Also Watch:
Responding via his YouTube channel, de Villiers expressed his enthusiasm for the conversation and invited Suryakumar to join him on his show for a deeper discussion. “I have a lot of questions for him as well,” de Villiers said. “On the matter of balancing formats, I’m not sure if he has big ambitions in Test cricket, but I don’t think he’ll give up on it. I’ll study his question properly and make sure I give SKY a good answer,” he added. Suryakumar, currently one of the most destructive T20 batters in world cricket and India’s T20I captain, last appeared in an ODI during the 2023 World Cup final. Despite his brilliance in the shorter format, his ODI career remains modest, averaging only 25. For guidance, he could hardly have turned to a better mentor. De Villiers not only dominated ODIs with 25 centuries but also scored 22 Test tons while maintaining a staggering 150-plus strike rate across T20s. Few have mastered all three formats as seamlessly as the South African icon, making his insights invaluable for a player like Suryakumar looking to evolve across formats.
