Ricky Ponting praises Suryakumar, claims he has 360-degree game like de Villiers

Former two-time World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting has compared India's Suryakumar Yadav to AB de Villiers as a 360-degree batter.

While speaking to ICC in their segment called ICC Review, Ponting said that Suryakumar has the ability to play all the shots.

"Surya (Yadav) scores 360 degrees around the ground, a bit like an AB de Villiers did when he was in his actual prime. The lap shots, the late cuts, you know, the ramps over the keeper's head. He can hit down the ground," Ponting said on the latest episode of The ICC Review.

Going a step further, Ponting highlighted Suryakumar's ability to hit on the leg side, deep backward, and more.

"He hits really well over the leg side, flicks to deep backward square particularly well, and he's a good player of fast bowling and is a good player of spin bowling," he added.

Ponting, who has worked alongside Suryakumar from his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), added that the batsman is going to be a part of India's team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

"I think you'd find him in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup, not just their squad. And if he's in that team, then I think all the fans in Australia are going to see a very, very good player," Ponting further added.

Speaking about his position in the team, Ponting said he can play at different numbers.

"For Surya, it's one, two or four. I think he can open, but I think he's probably, you know if you could probably just keep him away from the new ball, let him control the middle part of the game outside the Powerplay, through in the middle, and if he's in at the end, you know what can happen," he concluded.