Ricky Ponting reveals he ‘pleaded’ Delhi Capitals not to trade Abhishek Sharma to SRH

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has recalled that he requested the Delhi Capitals team management to retain the star Indian opener Abhishek Sharma during his coaching days with the franchise.

However, Ponting disclosed that the franchise eventually traded him to the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) franchise. Notably, Sharma is currently the No. 1-ranked T20I batter in the ICC T20I batting rankings.

Speaking about his T20I career, in 38 T20I matches, he has mustered 1,297 runs in 37 innings at an average of 37.05 and a strike rate of over 194, with two centuries and eight half-centuries, and the highest score of 135.

"I was his first IPL coach. He (Abhishek) debuted with me, I think as a 17-year-old at Delhi and made an immediate impact,” Ponting told The ICC Review.

"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 do not do this. We've got to (keep him), there is an absolute superstar in the making here,” he added.

"And that is what it is turned out to be. I have got really high hopes for him in this time," he concluded.

In three matches for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2018 season, Sharma could score only 63 runs, including an impressive, unbeaten 46-run knock on debut against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). 

Since 2019, he has been plying his trade with the SRH. In 30 matches since the last two seasons, he has accumulated a total of 923 runs at an average of 32.96 and a strike rate of 199, with a century and five half-centuries.

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