'I will help India win the World Cup' - Ishan Kishan speaks up on comparisons of himself with MS Dhoni

Star Indian batter Ishan Kishan has been often compared to MS Dhoni as he’s from the same state as the former India captain. But the youngster has revealed Dhoni’s advice which has helped him stay grounded.

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While Dhoni hailed from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi, Kishan was born in Bihar but has represented Jharkhand in domestic cricket and has a special connection to both states.

Being a wicketkeeper himself, and his attacking batting style, the 24-year-old shares plenty of similarities with Dhoni, hence 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’."

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“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.

I will try to help India win the World Cup: Ishan Kishan

“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 etching his name in the record books for scoring the fastest double hundred in ODIs in India’s last One Day International, Kishan was surprisingly dropped from the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Captain Rohit Sharma decided to go with youngster Shubman Gill who’s been enjoying a great run of form in 50-overs cricket.