"Have seen Gavaskar-Tendulkar closely but never seen someone so special" - Former Mumbai U22 coach on Suryakumar Yadav

Former Mumbai U22 head coach Vilas Godbole recently showered praise on Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav, saying that he is extra special.

Suryakumar had a breakout year in 2022, finishing as the highest run-scorer in the shortest format. The Mumbai-born cricketer, who is currently the No.1-ranked T20I batter in the world, amassed 1164 runs in 31 matches at an average of 46.56, including two centuries and nine fifties.

The right-handed batter will kickstart 2023 with a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3.

Ahead of his first game at the home ground, Suryakumar received praise from Godbole, who has also seen the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar bat from close quarters.

“He was very talented then too," Godbole told the Indian Express. "Now we can argue that he should have played for India earlier but the way he came back was remarkable. I saw him playing reverse sweeps to medium pacers. I have seen (Sunil) Gavaskar-(Sachin) Tendulkar closely but never seen someone so special."

Suryakumar made his international debut in 2021 against England in Ahmedabad and has not looked back since. Overall, he has amassed 1408 runs in 40 innings at a strike rate of over 180.

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"This is the hallmark of a great batsman" - Vilas Godbole on Suryakumar Yadav

Godbole further said that the confidence with which Suryakumar bats reminds him of the legendary Vijay Manjrekar. Father of Sanjay Manjrekar, Vijay represented India in 55 Tests, scoring 3208 runs at an average of 39.1.

He (Manjrekar) carried that arrogance and confidence while batting," Godbole added. "The best players set the tone of the game. They know where the bowlers are going to bowl. This is the hallmark of a great batsman. Gavaskar had it, Tendulkar had it, and now I can see it in Surya.

"They know where the bowler is going to bowl. Surya is more dangerous, as he can hit behind the wicket too."

Suryakumar will have his task cut out in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the absence of senior cricketers. He has also been appointed as Hardik Pandya's deputy for the series.

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