Ricky Ponting's Big Prediction For Abhishek Sharma: 'He Can Be...'

Legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who has donned the hat of an expert, commentator and head coach after his retirement from professional cricket, has made a big prediction about young Indian opening batter Abhishek Sharma. According to Ponting, who led Australia to back-to-back ODI World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007 and back-to-back Champions Trophy titles in 2006 and 2009, Abhishek is a star who could even emerge as the leading run-scorer in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Ponting said Abhishek’s relative inexperience at the global stage could actually work in his favour and make India stronger in the 20-over format of the game.

“He (Abhishek Sharma) is a star,” Ponting said in the latest edition of The ICC Review. “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,” Ponting added.

Abhishek, who made his T20I debut for India in July 2024 against Zimbabwe in Harare, will play his first ICC tournament for the Men in Blue this year. The world No. 1 T20I batter is all set to open the innings, and his red-hot form with the bat in the last few months has made him one of the top players to watch out for in the upcoming tournament.

Ponting, who worked with Abhishek during his time in Delhi Capitals, said when he made his IPL debut as a 17-year-old, he knew there was something extra special about him.

“I was his first IPL coach. He debuted with me, I think as a 17-year-old at Delhi, and made an immediate impact,” Ponting said.

“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.”

Ponting said he had even urged the franchise not to let the youngster go, convinced of his long-term promise.

“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,” he said.

“And that’s what it’s turned out to be. I’ve got really high hopes for him in this time,” he added.