Ahead of India’s high-stakes T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England, legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting has thrown his weight behind out-of-form opener Abhishek Sharma, urging patience and a mental reset rather than panic over his recent struggles. India will be taking on the English side at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on March 5.

India’s aggressive left-handed opener has had a horrid tournament so far, managing just 80 runs in six innings with flashes of promise overshadowed by his struggle for runs. 

Ponting insisted that while results have not matched expectations, Abhishek's talent remains intact and he should not worry much about it. The former World Cup-winning skipper suggested that sometimes stepping back from continuous batting practice could help a player shake off pressure and rediscover their natural game.

“Sometimes, when you're going through a bit of a slump like that, it's not always best just to go into the nets every day and bat for an hour and a half. Sometimes it's better off to let these guys just have a couple of days away, like mentally freshen up. The skills don't go anywhere. You don't lose your skills,” Ponting said on ICC review.

“But in a tournament like this, when you're consistently and constantly under pressure, and the results aren't coming, sometimes just leaving your bag zipped up, turning up the training, getting a little bit of bowling done, getting your fielding done, but not actually batting and almost starving yourself of going back into the nets,” he added.

Before the tournament began, Ponting had predicted Abhishek Sharmaas the leading run-scorer of the T20 World Cup 2026. While Abhishek has failed, other Indian batters have stepped up whenever the team has needed them to. Ishan Kishan has shown flashes of brilliance, with Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube contributing as well.