Edited By: Amrit Santlani
Last Updated: January 10, 2023, 17:06 IST
Guwahati [Gauhati]India
Ishan Kishan talks about ‘pressure’ of comparisons with MS Dhoni
Ishan Kishan opens up on the ‘pressure’ of comparisons with MS Dhoni, and how he hopes to help India win the ODI World Cup 2023.
Coming from the same state as MS Dhoni, Ishan Kishan has been compared to the former Indian skipper all his life, but the youngster has revealed Dhoni’s advice which has helped him stay grounded.
While Dhoni hailed from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi, Kishan who was born in Bihar but has represented Jharkhand in domestic cricket has a special connection to both states.
Being a wicketkeeper himself, and given the attacking batting style of Kishan, the 24-year-old shares plenty of similarities with Dhoni, thus leading to comparisons.
Talking to senior journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel, Kishan revealed that there has been ‘pressure’ on him whenever he has been compared to Dhoni, but he has always backed himself.
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The southpaw stated that even if he cannot emulate the heroics of the former Indian skipper, he will nonetheless try to help India win the ODI World Cup 2023.
When quizzed about the constant comparisons to Dhoni, Kishan said, “I have this in-built tendency in myself to remain confident about myself, regarding my skillset and my hand-eye coordination.”
He continued, “Obviously there is pressure when people compare me to Mahi bhai, because he’s done so much for India, and won so many trophies, but I kept all that aside. I used to learn from his work ethic, whenever I met him I used to him ask him ‘bhaiya I’m facing this issue, I score on certain days, but can’t score on certain other days’.”
“I learnt a lot from him, how to process things when you’re at the top, rather you should always be neutral no matter how you perform there’s a zone where you must be comfortable,” the Patna-born opener added.
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“I was confident that even if I can’t become someone like Mahi bhai, I will try to help India win the World Cup,” he stated.
“Off the field also I have learned a lot from his calmness, and the way he interacts with other people,” said Kishan.
After smashing a double century against Bangladesh in the final ODI of the three-match series in December, the youngster was not included in India’s playing XI for the first match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka in Guwahati.
Skipper Rohit Sharma returned to full fitness after recovering from a thumb injury and replaced Ishan Kishan in the playing XI for the first ODI.
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