England spinner Adil Rashid has showered praise on Suryakumar Yadav amid the Asia Cup 2025. Rashid recalled how SKY made an impressive T20I debut in the five-match T20I series against England in 2021.

But, SKY could not get to bat in his debut match. However, once again got his chance in the fourth T20I of the series and scored an impressive knock of 57 runs off just 31 balls in his debut T20I innings.

SKY’s knock helped India in posting 185 runs on the board and India registered an eight-run win. Rashid recalled how SKY got off the mark with a first-ball six against Jofra Archer, hitting the bowler over the fine-leg boundary in his trademark style.

“I remember playing against SKY. The first time we played against him was in India. He was doing well in IPL and people were saying he’s a top player. I had not seen much of him. Joff came up to bowl, first ball, slightly short, he pulled it over the keeper with his signature shot. He played it first ball for a six. I was like wow, heavy shot. I bowled to him that innings and he hit a few sixes over extra cover,” Rashid said on the ‘Beard Before Wicket’ podcast. 

The leg-spinner compared SKY with AB de Villiers and feels even the South African legend might not have been able to replicate India’s batter’s strokeplay.

“After that, you start watching him, he evolved massively. His ability to hit from all around the keeper, with pace, he would generate the pace to hit over point and third-man for six. Not many people can do that. I don’t know if AB De Villiers can do that,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t been in the best of forms while leading India in T20Is in the recent past, but he had performed consistently for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025, scoring 717 runs in 16 matches. 

SKY would look to lead from the front in the ongoing Asia Cup.