Team India opener Rohit Sharma has named former Australia captain Ricky Ponting to be the best coach he has played under. In 2013, Ponting was captain of Mumbai Indians, but he stepped aside after half way through the season and this gave Rohit the opportunity to take the mantle forward.
“Very difficult to pick one name because they all bring something or the other to the table. But Ricky Ponting to me was magic. The way he handled the team when he was captain for the first half, and then gave it to me, it takes a lot of guts to do that,” Rohit said in a conversation with Kevin Pietersen on Instagram Live.
“After that as well, to be as involved as he was, as a member of the support staff, he was helping all the youngsters and guided mine through the captaincy. I got to learn a lot from him. He was a different ball game altogether,” he further added.
During the conversation, he also described his saddest moment. Not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad, that was the saddest moment as it was happening in our own backyard, the final was played at my home ground,” he said.
On being asked why he was not selected, Rohit gave an honest reply. “It was due to my performances, I was not at my best.”
