Please don't do this: When Ricky Ponting couldn't convince Delhi to retain T20 star

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that in 2018, during his time with Abhishek Sharma at Delhi Capitals in the IPL, he urged the franchise's owners to retain the young batter and not let him go.

Former Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has revealed that he pleaded with the franchise's ownership and management not to trade Abhishek Sharma ahead of the IPL 2019 season, insisting at the time that the young batter was a future superstar.

Speaking on the ICC Review, Ponting said Abhishek had made an immediate impression when he debuted under him at Delhi Capitals as a 17-year-old during IPL 2018.

"I was his first IPL coach," Ponting said. "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."

Despite that early promise, Abhishek featured in only three innings for Delhi Capitals. He was later one of three players traded to Sunrisers Hyderabad in a deal that brought Shikhar Dhawan to the capital.

Ponting said he repeatedly urged the franchise to rethink the move. "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's IPL debut remains a standout moment, with the left-hander scoring a fluent 19-ball 46 not out. Since joining Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2019 season, he has established himself as one of the most destructive openers in the league, scoring 1753 runs in 71 innings at a strike rate of 162.16.