Ricky Ponting picks two Indian players in his Top-Five T20I players list for T20 WC

 
Ricky Ponting picks two Indian players in his Top-Five T20I players list for T20 WC

Ricky Ponting is the biggest name when it comes to the greatest captains of all time. He is the only captain in history to lead a team to two ODI World Cups. He has led Australia to some incredible achievements during his stint. And apart from being a great captain, he was also a legendary batsman.

Ponting is one of the few batters who have scored more than 20,000 international runs. That shows the stature of the former Australia skipper in the game. Thus, his predictions, suggestions, and visions are always noted by the world.

In the latest episode of The ICC Review, he was asked about the five first-choice players in the world right now, whom he wants to bring into his team. He names the top five players, and, surprisingly, Australia is not among them.

1. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) - No. 3 Ranked T20I Bowler

At No. 1, Ponting picked the Afghan superstar leg-spinner Rashid Khan. He said that Rashid would be number one on his list and said that if there was no salary cap in the IPL, Rashid would have gone for the most amount. He further said that the leg-spinner is a consistent wicket-taker and also bowls with less economy.

2. Babar Azam (Pakistan) - No. 1 Ranked T20I Batsman

At No. 2, the former Australian skipper has picked the Pakistani skipper, Babar Azam. He said that Babar is the No. 1 ranked T20I batter at the moment and his numbers are outstanding. He also concluded that Babar has led Pakistan to many victories single-handedly in the past couple of years.

3. Hardik Pandya (India) - No. 5 Ranked T20I All-rounder

Ponting has picked star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as his third pick. He said that it is pretty hard to go past the all-rounder because his current form is incredible. The former Australian skipper also pointed out how the all-rounder led the Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title. He added that Hardik is also bowling well now, too, at a speed of over 140 km/h. He concluded, "He understands his game better than ever before, and right now he's probably the best all-rounder in the world in T20 cricket."

4. Jos Buttler (England) - No. 16 Ranked T20I Batsman

The former Australian skipper has picked the English white-ball skipper Jos Buttler as his fourth choice. He said that it is hard to play against Buttler because he has got something special that many players don't and he can change the scenery of the game in a short span of time. He pointed out that Buttler is a match-winner and that's what he showed in the IPL. Scoring 3–4 centuries in T20 is not easy.

5. Jasprit Bumrah (India) - No. 37 Ranked T20I Bowler

Ponting has picked another Indian player at No. 5, and he is India's premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah. He said that Bumrah is a complete bowler across all three formats right now in the world and can bowl with both new and old balls as well. He also added that India should look to give him an over with the new ball in the T20 World Cup in Australia, as he is one of the best death specialists going around, which every team wants.

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