Shubman Gill deserves to be the number one ranked batsman in the world: Ricky Ponting

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has acclaimed India's sensational batter Shubman Gill, whose stellar form has pitched him to reach at position one of the ICC ODI batting rankings, leaving behind Babar Azam. Gill's dominance in this format has been highly praised and in the Champions Trophy he has begun to portray it with a match-winning ton (101*) against Bangladesh in India’s opening game on February 20, Group A clash.

This century made notable as his fourth successive 50+ score, setting his position as one of the most persistent batters in the cricket domain. 

Shubman Gill has already showcased his intent at the Narendra Modi stadium with a smashing 112 runs against England on February 12, heading into the ICC tournament with spirit and determination. To be noted, his recent innings against Bangladesh, which helped India sail through a complex phase, which led him to receive the Player of the Match award.  

Ponting believes Gill’s rise to the No.1 ranking is commendable and deserving. "He thoroughly deserves to be the number one ranked batsman in the world at the moment. It's a great sign for India that he's got his account underway early in the first game of a Champions Trophy," Ponting shared on ICC Review.  

Ponting acknowledged Gill's presence in limited-overs cricket, even though he struggled to showcase his white-ball success in Test cricket. "He's been a very, very good international player for several years. His white-ball cricket over the last three or four years has been outstanding," he said.  

Ponting further briefed as to why he feels Gill's style of game is ODI cricket. "One-day cricket allows him to be aggressive early in the powerplay with the field up. He plays good, natural shots and scores boundaries at will," he added.  

Shubman Gill, currently India’s vice-captain, has accumulated a massive 2,688 runs in 51 ODIs with an average of 62.51, which includes eight centuries of. The next clash where India is set to play against Pakistan on 23 February in the Dubai International Stadium is a game to surely watch out for.