Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has expressed his confidence in out-of-form India skipper Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup, which is set to begin on February 7. Despite a rough run in 2025, where Yadav has scored just 218 runs in 19 innings at a strike rate of 123.16, Ponting urged the Indian batter to trust his natural game and maintain his aggressive approach. “That’s as big a surprise for me, just looking at his recent form. He’s been such a solid and consistent contributor for India in T20 cricket for a long time and just hasn’t been able to find it of late,” Ponting told ICC. He added, “He’s an interesting one because when I’ve seen him play his best, he’s taken six or eight or 10 balls to get going and then just lets it all go.”
Ponting highlighted Yadav’s fearless style, comparing him to Australia’s Travis Head. “He plays all of his shots and backs himself, and a bit like Travis Head, where it almost looks like they don’t ever fear getting out,” he said. “That’s what I’d say to him. I’d be saying, think about scoring runs, don’t think about getting out. Trust yourself, back yourself. You’re proven to be as good as anybody in the world in the T20 format and go and prove it to everybody once again.” The former Aussie great also praised India’s decision to appoint 31-year-old Axar Patel as vice-captain for the T20 World Cup. Ponting lauded Patel’s versatility, noting, “I mean, actually, Patel’s been their go-to man, really hasn’t he? The last few series, he’s been their pinch hitter at different times. They’ve batted him up the order at number three. When they’ve needed that left-hand, right-hand combination, he’s been the man to go out and try and do it for them, and he’s obviously ever consistent with his left-arm off spin as well.” Ponting admitted he was surprised by the exclusion of India ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill from the T20 squad. Gill, who has struggled in recent white-ball cricket, has 291 runs in 15 innings with a highest score of 47. “Yeah, I couldn’t believe that,” Ponting said during an appearance on The ICC Review with host Sanjana Ganesan. He added, “I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket. And the last time that I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK, where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anybody bat.” Despite his surprise, Ponting praised India’s batting depth, suggesting that leaving Gill out reflects the strength of the squad. “I mean one, I’m surprised, but two, it just shows the depth of Indian cricket,” he explained. “If you can think that someone as good as Shubman Gill doesn’t get picked in a World Cup squad, then it goes to show how many good players they do have.” Ponting’s comments underline his belief that while individual form can fluctuate, backing one’s instincts and leveraging team depth remain key in high-pressure tournaments like the T20 World Cup.
