The countdown to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has begun, with all teams now gearing up for the major cricketing competition. Ahead of the tournament, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has given his verdict on the possible Player of the Tournament. Ricky Ponting believes India opener Abhishek Sharma might be the leading run-getter in the competition and also win the Player of the Tournament award.
In the last major competition, which was the Asia Cup 2025, he won the Player of the Tournament award for his exceptional performance in the biennial tournament. The explosive left-handed opener scored 314 runs in seven innings with an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 200.00. So far, the southpaw in 38 T20Is has scored 1,297 runs, with an average of over 37 and a blistering strike rate of 195.
Ricky Ponting Reflects on Abhishek Sharma’s Early IPL Days
While speaking to ICC a week ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, Ricky Ponting stated, “He’s a star. I think it’s (lack of experience) a real positive to be honest. He can be the leading run-scorer and potentially the Player of the Tournament. That’s how good I think he is. And if he does, that makes India even harder to beat. If he doesn’t, then they’re as vulnerable as anybody else. So that’s how important I think he is to this (T20) World Cup for India.”
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Ricky Ponting also recalled Abhishek’s early days in the Indian Premier League (IPL), when the former was part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) setup. Abhishek Sharma made his IPL debut back in 2018 with the Capitals, featuring in three games under the Australian head coach.
According to Ricky Ponting (via the aforementioned source), “I was his first IPL coach. He debuted with me, I think, as a 17-year-old at Delhi and made an immediate impact. I think he hit his first ball for four or six straight back over the bowler’s head with that classical sort of straight bat and held the pose. And you could just see then as a 17-year-old that there was something extra special.”
‘We ended up trading him away from Delhi’- Ponting
Ricky Ponting was the first one to spot his talent in the IPL and asked the franchise not to sell him, but to retain him in DC. However, the franchise failed to do so.
Ponting further added, “We ended up trading him away from Delhi, but I pleaded and pleaded and pleaded and said, please don’t do this. We’ve got to (keep him), there’s an absolute superstar in the making here. And that’s what it’s turned out to be. I’ve got really high hopes for him at this time.”
Abhishek Sharma set a new opening trend for Sunrisers Hyderabad
Abhishek Sharma, after his one season with DC in 2018, joined Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and has never turned back.
Despite a poor run in the 2021 season, he has scored over 400 runs in the last four editions of the league. He was excellent alongside his opening partner, Travis Head, in the 2024 season when the Orange Army qualified for the final, losing out to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Also Read: Matt Henry exposes Abhishek Sharma’s weakness: “He’s been playing brilliantly over the last two years”