Ricky Ponting reveals he 'pleaded and pleaded' to keep Abhishek Sharma at Delhi Capitals in IPL 2018
In a recent episode of The ICC Review, Ponting looked back at his time as coach of Delhi Capitals in the 2018 IPL, where he coached young Abhishek.
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Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has opened up about his early reading of Abhishek Sharma, a player he insists was destined for stardom. Abhishek is currently the No. 1 T20I batter ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Ponting looked back at his time as coach of Delhi Capitals in the 2018 IPL and revealed that he had urged the franchise not to trade the young left-hander, a request that ultimately went in vain.
“I was his first IPL coach. He debuted with me, I think as a 17-year-old at Delhi and made an immediate impact,” said Ponting.
Ponting vividly recalled the moment he first saw Abhishek play, describing an audacious shot that immediately helped him identify the youngster's rare talent.
"He debuted with me, I think as a 17-year-old in 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,” Ponting said on the ICC review.
Despite Ponting’s strong objections, Delhi Capitals traded Abhishek to Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the 2019 season, a decision the former Australia captain still regrets.
“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 this time,” Ponting recalled.
Since then, Abhishek has more than justified Ponting’s faith. After an eye-catching 19-ball 46 on IPL debut, he has evolved into one of the most feared power-hitters in T20 cricket. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has been a consistent force at the top, and his recent international form has been even more explosive.
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Ponting believes that Abhishek’s fearless batting will be a game-changer in this World Cup, tipping him as a potential top run-scorer and even a Player of the Tournament candidate.
India begin their World Cup campaign on February 7 in Mumbai against the USA.
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