'Thoroughly deserves to be the No.1 ranked batter': Ricky Ponting heaps praise on Shubman Gill

NEW DELHI: India's newly crowned world No.1 ODI batter, Shubman Gill, lived up to his billing with a magnificent century, steering India to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener. His composed knock, his second consecutive ODI ton, reinforced his dominance in white-ball cricket and drew high praise from former Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting hailed the 25-year-old's rise to the top of the rankings, calling it a reflection of his class and consistency.
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"He thoroughly deserves to be the number one ranked batter in the world at the moment," Ponting said. "It's a great sign for India that he's got his account underway early in the first game of a Champions Trophy."
While Gill has yet to make a significant mark in Test cricket, Ponting stressed that ODIs and T20s are perfectly suited to his style.

"He's been a very, very good international player for a number of years," Ponting noted. "He hasn't sort of transferred that over into Test Match cricket yet, but his white-ball cricket over the last three or four years has been outstanding. Look, he's a big-game player as well. He's played really well in IPLs over the last couple of years, obviously being captain of his franchise there."
Ponting particularly praised Gill's ability to score freely in ODIs, especially against fast bowling.
"He can come out and be nice and aggressive early in the power play with the field up, get some boundaries away early by playing good, naturally aggressive cricketing shots," Ponting explained. "He's not a big hitter, he doesn't try to do anything outside of his natural game, but he scores boundaries almost at will against fast bowling."

Beyond his batting prowess, Ponting also sees leadership potential in Gill.
"He just seems like a really nice character, very driven for what he wants to achieve in the game," Ponting said. "We've had a chance to catch up over the last couple of years, particularly around the IPL season. I just like his demeanor. He seems like a very driven guy that wants to be the best he possibly can with batting and also in leadership."
Gill's eighth ODI century, helping India chase down 229 against Bangladesh on a tricky pitch in Dubai, further solidified his reputation as India's premier white-ball batter.