'I pleaded and pleaded': Ponting on asking DC to not trade Abhishek in IPL
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'I pleaded and pleaded': Ponting on asking DC to not trade Abhishek in IPL")
Ponting on asking DC to not trade Abhishek in IPL Photograph: (BCCI)
Abhishek had hit unbeaten 46 off 19 balls on his IPL debut while playing for Delhi Capitals. He is now a rock at the top for SRH, hitting 1753 runs in 71 innings for them, at a strike rate of 162.16.
Former Delhi Capitals coach and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has revealed that he 'pleaded' the IPL franchise to not trade India opener Abhishek Sharma. The DC coach is now with Punjab Kings and Abhishek plays for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Ponting said he found Abhishek special one he saw him bat but he was traded to SRH where he forms one half of the destructive opening combination with Travis Head. Abhishek is now also one of the most fearsome attacking openers in the world cricket, set to play his first ICC tournament in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 which begins on Feb 7.
Ponting reveals he pleaded DC to not trade Abhishek
"I was his first IPL coach," Ponting said on the ICC review. "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, 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."
Abhishek had hit unbeaten 46 off 19 balls on his IPL debut while playing for Delhi Capitals. He is now a rock at the top for SRH, hitting 1753 runs in 71 innings for them, at a strike rate of 162.16.
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Abhishek's failure makes India vulnerable
Ponting also opined that Abhishek's form would be crucial for India's defence of the T20 World Cup. "[It's] 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 World Cup for India."
