 "'That’s how good I think he is': Ricky Ponting picks India star as 'Player Of The Tournament' for T20 World Cup 2026")
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed an Indian player to win the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Ponting called the India star a potential match-winner who can dominate attacks and could end as the leading run-scorer in the tournament.
As per Ponting, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma could dominate the T20 World Cup. He believes the batter’s fearless approach and relative inexperience at the global stage could work in India’s favour. The 25-year-old will feature in his maiden T20 World Cup, starting February 7.
“He’s 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.”
Abhishek was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2018 and has so far scored 1,267 runs in 37 T20Is at a strike rate of 194.92, including 2 hundreds and 8 fifties. He was also India’s leading run-scorer at the 2025 Asia Cup, which the Men in Blue won after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.
Ponting says he requested Delhi Capitals not to release Abhishek
Ponting first worked with Abhishek during his stint as head coach of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and recalled spotting his potential early on.
“I was his first IPL coach. He debuted with me 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. You could just see then, as a 17-year-old, that there was something extra special.”
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View AllPonting revealed that he had even urged the franchise not to let Abhishek 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.
The Indian opener has been in fine form ahead of the ICC showpiece, scoring 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand in the recent T20I series.
With Ponting’s backing and his current form, Abhishek Sharma could be one of the players to watch when the T20 World Cup 2026 gets underway.
(With agency inputs)
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