Virat Kohli fans are furious with former India captain Kapil Dev who seemed to have ‘insulted' their hero with his recent remarks about Suryakumar Yadav.

The admirers of Team India's current batting icon were left irked after Kapil Dev called Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) a “once-in-a-century player” during a recent interaction with a media outlet.

According to them, Kapil Dev was not just mocking Virat Kohli with his statement but appeared like someone who just wanted to join the Suryakumar Yadav fan group as he had ignored the Delhi-born cricketer's previous accomplishments.

“There are times when you are lost for words on how to describe this,” Kapil Dev told ABP News. “When you watch Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, you think whether there will be a player who can convince you that he's at the same level as these. There's abundance of talent in India. And the kind of cricket he plays, especially the lap shot over fine leg. What does a bowler do then? They are afraid of bowling him full – he can hit you over mid-on, can flick you for a six. It becomes difficult for a bowler. He consistently keeps on picking line and length. He’s toying with the bowlers.”

“It's rare to see someone strike this way. I have seen amazing players like AB de Villiers, Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting but few can hit the ball as cleanly as Suryakumar. Hats off to him!” Kapil Dev added.

“Suryakumar Yadav is playing with the mindset of the players. In tennis, you try to predict whether the service will land to your right or left. He can judge early where the bowler is about to land. Few players have this god-gifted ability to play like this. It's not easy. Players like him come once in a century,” Kapil Dev noted.

Some even said that Kapil Dev was out of his mind, considering SKY was yet to showcase his talent against big teams like Australia and Pakistan. The Mumbai-born cricket star failed miserably against Pakistan in last year's T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, others declared that the legendary Indian allrounder's statement was a joke because Suryakumar Yadav was yet to cement his place in other formats. At best, he could be called the best T20I player in the world but nothing more than that.

https://twitter.com/Kohli_Matterz/status/1612433015543824385

 

Kapil Dev's stunning remarks about Surya came after he smashed a sensational century against Sri Lanka in the series decider in Rajkot during the weekend.

The swashbuckling cricketer took the Sri Lankan bowling apart in what was a wonderful exhibition of 360-degree batting at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Showing why he's ranked No.1 in T20I cricket, Suryakumar Yadav slammed an unbeaten 112 off 51 balls, including 9 sixes and 7 boundaries.

It was the middle-order batter's third ton in T20Is in only seven months since he struck his maiden hundred against England in July. With his century against Sri Lanka, SKY became the first non-opener in the history of T20Is to hit three centuries.

In the process, Suryakumar Yadav also became the quickest to complete 1,500 runs in the shortest format of the sport.

In 45 T20Is so far, the 32-year-old cricketer has made 1,578 runs with a highly impressive average of 46.41 and a stunning strike rate of 180.34. During his brief career for India, Suryakumar Yadav has already smashed three centuries and 13 fifties.

Though Kapil Dev's comments looked like a dig at the likes of Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain wasn't alone to hail him for his recent performances in T20Is.

Other than Kapil Dev, Aakash Chopra and Danish Kaneria were singing praises of Suryakumar Yadav.

“It seems like it is Suryakumar Yadav's world, and you and I are living in it. He has struck his third T20I century. Who did he not hit and from where all have praises not come? When he plays, it is wonderful, incredible, amazing and unparalleled, and makes the match one-sided,” Aakash Chopra said last week.

“The new Universe Boss is Suryakumar Yadav-the beast. Now what can I tell about this lad, even before I have said that a player like Suryakumar comes once in a lifetime. The innings which he played today, scoring 112 off 51, no one can replicate that. You can speak about ABD, Chris Gayle but even these two look pale in front of Surya. He has already eclipsed them and has taken T20 cricket to a whole new level,” Danish Kaneria summed up while likening Surya with the South African great AB de Villiers and former West Indies swashbuckler Chris Gayle.