A 19-year-old Ishant Sharma tormented Ricky Ponting during India's 2007-08 tour of Australia. The Aussie legend never looked comfortable against the tall and lanky pacer in the Test series and fell prey to him numerous times. Interestingly, however, 12 years later, Sharma has hailed the former Aussie captain as the best coach he has played under. The veteran pacer was bought by Delhi Capitals during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 auction. He enjoyed a good run in the tournament as he scalped 13 wickets in the season and played a vital role in guiding his side to the play-offs. However, he recently credited his success in the tournament to Delhi’s head coach Ponting. Ishant Sharma Ready to Adapt if Ball Doesn’t Shine As Per Liking Without Saliva.

The talismanic pacer revealed that he was quite nervous at the start of the tournament. However, Ponting gave him confidence due to which he was able to deliver. “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.

Recalling his dominance against the former Australian skipper in 2007-08, Ishant said that he was in great form in that series and his spell against Ponting is 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,” the 31-year-old added.

Ishant was all set to join forces with Ponting in the 2020 edition of the T20 extravaganza. However, just like many major cricket tournaments, the 13th season of IPL has also been postponed indefinitely owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2020 04:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).