Ishant Sharma Hails Ricky Ponting As The Best Coach He Has Ever Met

Ishant Sharma, the Indian fast bowling spearhead, had hailed former Australian captain and the current Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting as the best coach he has ever met.

Ishant revealed the same during an Instagram Live session with his Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals.

Ishant made his return to the IPL last season after having been bought by the Capitals in the preceding auction. The Delhi fast bowler admitted to being nervous when he first walked into the dressing room.

Sharma revealed that the way Ricky Ponting gave him the assurance that he is the franchise No.1 choice, it certainly eased a lot of his nerves.

“He’s (Ponting) the best coach I’ve ever met. I was very nervous when I was making a return to the IPL last season. I was almost feeling like a debutant walking into the camp the first day, but he gave me a lot of confidence since the first day I arrived at the Delhi Capitals’ camp,” said Ishant Sharma during an Instagram live session with Delhi Capitals

Ishant added: “He just told me, ‘You’re a senior player and you should help the youngsters. Just don’t worry about anything – you’re my first choice.’ And I think that bit of conversation really helped me,” Ishant added.

Also Read: Ishant Sharma Credits His County Stint With Sussex For The Sensational Turnaround In His Career

Success against Ricky Ponting one of the highlights of my career: Ishant Sharma

Ishant, of-course into reckoning as a 19-year-old rookie when he bowled that marathon spell to Ricky Ponting before eventually dismissing him.

Commenting on that spell, Ishant reminded everyone that he had a wood over the legendary Australian batsman throughout the year 2008. Ishant hailed his success against Ponting as one of the highlights of his career.

“People still talk and ask me about the Perth Test, and the spell I bowled to him. Later that year when Australia visited India too, I was in great form,” he said.

“Gary (Kirsten) was our coach then, and he told me that the Australians play only to win, which is why a performance against them, even on home soil, counts a lot, and would help me get noticed. That success I had against them in 2008 is easily one of the highlights of my career,” Ishant added.

This is not the first time that Ricky Ponting has been hailed as a coach. Earlier, Rohit Sharma had also heaped praise on the former Australian captain for the manner in which he handled the Mumbai Indians outfit in 2014.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma Hails Ricky Ponting For The Way He Handled The Team In The IPL 2014