The legendary Ricky Ponting has tipped India opener Abhishek Sharma to be a potential match-winner at the upcoming T20 World Cup, describing him as a “star” who could even emerge as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.

The 25-year-old is set to feature in his maiden T20 World Cup, beginning on February 7.

Ponting said Abhishek’s relative inexperience at the global stage could actually work in his favour and make India stronger in the shortest format.

“He’s a star,” Ponting said in the latest edition of The ICC Review.

“I think it’s (lack of experience) a real positive to be honest. He can be the leading run-scorer and potentially the Player of the Tournament. That’s how good I think he is. And if he does, that makes India even harder to beat. If he doesn’t, then they’re as vulnerable as anybody else. So, that’s how important I think he is to this (T20) World Cup for India.”

Abhishek, a member of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2018, has amassed 1,267 runs in 37 T20Is at a strike rate of 194.92, including two hundreds and eight fifties.

Ponting, who first worked with Abhishek during his stint as head coach of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), recalled spotting his potential early on.

“I was his first IPL coach. He debuted with me, I think, as a 17-year-old at Delhi, and made an immediate impact,” Ponting said.

“I think he hit his first ball for four or six straight back over the bowler’s head with that classical sort of straight bat and held the pose. And you could just see then, as a 17-year-old, that there was something extra special.”

Ponting said he had even urged the franchise not to let the youngster go, convinced of his long-term promise.

“We ended up trading him away from Delhi, but I pleaded and pleaded and pleaded and said, ‘Please don’t do this. We’ve got to (keep him), there’s an absolute superstar in the making here,’” he said.

“And that’s what it’s turned out to be. I’ve got really high hopes for him this time,” Ponting added.

Abhishek has warmed up for the ICC showpiece, piling on 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand in the recently concluded T20I series.