Legendary South Africa pacer Dale Steyn playfully sparked a debate between two of the most explosive modern batters—AB de Villiers and Suryakumar Yadav.
Both AB de Villiers and Suryakumar Yadav are known for their 360-degree shots and unorthodox stroke play, but they shine in slightly different arenas. The former South African captain and one of the greatest batters of all time, De Villiers, dominated across all formats.
AB de Villiers and Suryakumar Yadav debate ends as Dale Steyn drops a brutal verdict
But while India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is only a master of the shortest format. He has played 37 ODIs but failed to replicate his T20 success in the format and got to play only one test for India. Despite this, Suryakumar’s innovative stroke play often drew comparisons with De Villiers.
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However, Dale Steyn doesn’t think the Indian captain is even close to his former Proteas captain even solely in the shorter format of the game and made the most of his time on the flight in cooking Suryakumar.
Actually, Steyn, tweeting from Mumbai while waiting for a flight, was asked who he would choose: AB or SKY. His reply was cheeky and clear—AB all day, twice on Sundays, and forever.
Steyn’s remark instantly went viral, as Suryakumar got roasted by one of the fastest bowlers ever in a brutal praise for the legendary batter De Villiers.
AB all day, twice on sundays and forever again and again.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 27, 2026
When Dale Steyn had said: “SKY could be India’s version of ABD”
However, back in 2022, Dale Steyn had praised Suryakumar Yadav’s batting as smart and versatile. He highlighted how Suryakumar uses the ball’s pace, hits behind square, and plays both back-foot and front-foot drives with ease. Steyn noted that on fast, batter-friendly Australian pitches, Surya can score all around the ground, making him a true 360-degree player.
He even compared Suryakumar to AB de Villiers, saying India’s T20 captain could be the Indian version of the South African legend. He had stated, “SKY is a wonderful 360-degree player and reminds me of AB de Villiers. He could be India’s version of AB de Villiers.”
Steyn’s ultimate praise for AB de Villiers
However, last year, De Villiers yet again got the vote of Steyn after the former South Africa captain stole the show in the 2025 World Championship of Legends final.
De Villiers guided South Africa Champions to an easy nine-wicket victory over Pakistan Champions with a blistering knock of 120 off just 60 balls.
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He had posted for ABD: “Unpopular/Popular opinion. Ab is still better than half the internationals at IPL. Maybe even more.”
Unpopular/Popular opinion.
Ab is still better than half the internationals at IPL. Maybe even more.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) August 3, 2025
Suryakumar Yadav vs AB de Villiers in numbers
De Villiers dominated all formats with his 360-degree stroke play. In 228 ODIs, he amassed 9,577 runs at an average of 53.5 and a strike rate of over 101, with 25 centuries and 53 fifties to his name. In T20Is, he featured in 78 games, amassing 1,672 runs at an impressive strike rate of 135.0.
His Test career included 114 matches, 8,765 runs at 50.0, and 22 hundreds. Known for innovative shots and quick running between the wickets, the Proteas great also contributed with 172 ODI catches. In T20s, he has 9424 runs in 340 games at an amazing strike rate of over 150.
On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has 2959 runs in 102 T20Is at an average of 36.98 and a stunning strike rate of 165.03. He also has 773 runs in 37 ODIs and 8 runs in one test to his name. Speaking about T20s, the right-handed batter has so far amassed 9146 runs in 349 games at a brilliant average of 35.31 and strike rate of 152.99.
