Former Australia captain and ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has tipped India’s explosive opener Abhishek Sharma to finish as the leading run-scorer at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, backing the left-hander to light up the tournament despite his limited experience at global events.
Speaking on the latest episode of The ICC Review, Ponting praised Abhishek’s fearless approach and believes his lack of exposure at ICC tournaments could actually work in his favour.
“He’s a star,” Ponting said.
“I think his lack of experience is actually a real positive. He can be the leading run-scorer and potentially the Player of the Tournament. That’s how good I think he is.”
Ponting added that Abhishek’s impact at the top of the order could prove decisive for the defending champions.
“If he does that, India become incredibly hard to beat. If he doesn’t, then they’re as vulnerable as anyone else. That’s how important he is to India’s T20 World Cup campaign.”
The 25-year-old is set to feature in his maiden Men’s T20 World Cup, with the tournament getting underway on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. A member of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning side in 2018, Abhishek has steadily built his reputation as one of the most destructive openers in white-ball cricket.
Ponting also reflected on his first impressions of Abhishek during his early days in the Indian Premier League, when the former Australia skipper coached Delhi Capitals.
“I was his first IPL coach,” Ponting recalled.
“He debuted with me as a 17-year-old and hit his first ball straight back over the bowler’s head for four or six. You could see immediately that there was something special about him.”
“We ended up trading him away, and I pleaded not to do it. I kept saying there’s an absolute superstar in the making here — and that’s exactly what he’s turned out to be.”
Abhishek has entered the World Cup in red-hot form, scoring 152 runs in four matches in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. In the third match, he smashed a 14-ball half-century, the second-fastest by an Indian batter, behind only Yuvraj Singh’s iconic 12-ball fifty against England in 2007.
India will be hoping Abhishek’s aggressive starts set the tone as they aim to become the first team to successfully defend a Men’s T20 World Cup title. Placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, USA, Namibia and the Netherlands, India open their campaign against USA on February 7.
With expectations rising and a ringing endorsement from one of the game’s greatest batters, all eyes will be on Abhishek Sharma to see if he can live up to Ponting’s bold prediction on cricket’s biggest T20 stage.
