'Innovation-wise, skill-wise, I don't think I have seen a better player' - Ricky Ponting on Suryakumar Yadav

Imagine being so good at something that a three-time world cup winner comes out and heaps a praiseon you. Well, this is what Suryakumar Yadav has done to Ricky Ponting – who cannot stop calling SKY, as most Surya’s fans call him, the best player going around in T20 cricket. Having attained such heights in the shortest format despite making his international T20I debut in 2021 itself, Surya took the world by storm in the past year, amassing 1164 runs including two centuries and nine fifties. Such numbers brought great rewards too as he recently got announced as the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022. So much so that Ponting, who has tasted success at the top level for a prolonged period, goes at length to describe SKY as the best thing going around.

Watching Suryakumar brings joy not only to Indian cricket fansbut fans from different countriesas well. Speaking about India’s newest batting sensation to the ICC on Friday, Punter saidSurya will inspire a new breed of budding cricketers who would want to emulate his style of play and would like to play like him. Adding that with the array of shots he has in his armory, he’s taking the skillset in this format to the next level.

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"I think innovation-wise, skill-wise, I haven't seen a better player (than Suryakumar) in the game," Ponting told ICC on Friday.

"What it's going to do as well, a lot of other players are going to try and do the things he's doing and it's going to add another level of skill to the T20 game all around the world. Someone said during the IPL this year (2022), there are going to be guys who are going to try and do exactly the same as what Surya's doing, and that's going to be great for the game," the former Aussie captain added.

Looking impressed with Surya’s famous behind-the-square leg flick shot, Ponting said SKYis executing such shots better than anyone has ever done in the game. Mentioning the great Ab de Villiers in his conversation, Ponting said, "He's probably doing it better than anyone's ever done it right now. We talk about players that can score 360 degrees … some of the shots he's hitting back behind the wicket-keeper and over fine leg are just remarkable."

Having watched Surya grow as a batter during his early days in the IPL, the former Mumbai Indians’ captain revealed he never thought Surya would touch such heights in international cricket; but given the hard work he does and that too with utter dedication, it’s no wonder that he is where he should be.

"I didn't think he'd get to the level he's got to, to be quite honest," Ponting revealed. "He's worked as hard as he has -- you can probably tell by his body shape. He's probably fitter than he's ever been, being around the Indian set-up with the likes of Kohli and Shreyas Iyer and these guys, who are exceptionally fit young guys."

Suryakumar is currently plying his trade in the ongoing three-match T20Is against New Zealand and then would get involved in the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia that begins on February 9th in Nagpur.