Mumbai, Nov 29 (IANS): Former India men's team coach Ravi Shastri has been left in awe of Suryakumar Yadav's pyrotechnics, with the ex-allrounder saying he is one of the best T20 players in the world and quite like AB de Villiers at his peak.

The year 2022 saw Surya grabbing headlines in the shortest format of the game, bringing out exquisite strokes that very few had the opportunity to witness before.

"He is one of the best players in the world if not the best T20 player. He has got the all-round game and he is devastating. On his day, if he bats 30-40 balls, he'll win you the match because he scores at that pace and he demoralises the opposition with the kind of shots he plays. He is much like AB de Villiers at his best. When AB played one of those special innings, it deflated the opposition and Surya can do just that," Shastri told Prime Video after India's second fixture against New Zealand.

Shastri also spoke about Surya's ODI form when he was told about the batter's not-so-prolific returns in the longer format of the white ball game.

"If you look at the numbers and law of averages, he is bound to have an innings like that. But if he gets past the 15-20-run mark, he makes it count as he showed in some of his earlier innings. So, he backs his ability and attacking instincts. So, when you have those kinds of instincts, every odd inning, he is bound to fail. But when it comes off, it's spectacular."

Surya will be a crucial part of the Indian cricket team when they take on New Zealand for the series decider with India still trailing after the second ODI was washed out.