Suryakumar Yadav is a freak in T20 cricket and the one to watch out for in T20 World Cup 2024, says Nasser Hussain

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Former England skipper Nasser Hussain feels India batter Suryakumar Yadav is a bit clueless in 50-overs cricket but "is a freak" who is absolutely in command in the shortest format and will be the one to look out for at the T20 World Cup 2024 later this year.

Suryakumar has managed just 773 runs, including 4 fifties at an average of 25.76 and strike rate of 105.02 in 35 ODI innings, but is in a different zone in the T20 format, in which he plays unorthodox strokes to score swift runs.

Since beginning his T20I journey for India in 2021, he has quickly established himself as one of the best batters in the shortest format of the game, scoring 2141 run including four centuries and 17 fifties from 60 T20Is at an impressive strike rate of 171.55.

His impressive run got him the No.1 spot in the ICC Rankings for T20I batters in 2022, which he has held on to since. However, the big-hitting batter has struggled to make a similar impact in ODIs.

"The person for the world to watch out for at the moment in T20 is Suryakumar Yadav," Hussain was quoted as saying by the ICC on Wednesday (January 3).

"I mean, the bloke is a freak. The cliche of Mr. 360, but some of the shots he plays... and he is a bit of a freak because in fifty-overs cricket, he doesn't quite know when to go, when not to go, what to do.

"But in T20 cricket, he absolutely knows what to do every single time almost, and it's a fun game, T20 cricket and watching SKY, that is absolutely fun," Hussain added.

Suryakumar, who led the Indian T20 side in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, is currently nursing an injury and is expected to miss the three-match Test series at home against Afghanistan.

The 33-year-old, however, is expected to be an immediate pick for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, which is scheduled to be held from June 4-30 in West Indies and the USA.

In his two series as captain, Yadav led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia at home, and followed that with a 1-1 draw in the three-match series in South Africa, where the first match was abandoned due to rain.

(With PTI inputs)