"He got to learn a lot from him" - Saba Karim on Ishan Kishan having spent time with MS Dhoni

Saba Karim has highlighted that Ishan Kishan learned a lot from MS Dhoni through his interactions with the former Indian skipper while playing domestic cricket.

Kishan smoked 210 runs off 131 balls in the third and final ODI between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday, December 10. His knock helped the Men in Blue set a massive 410-run target for the hosts and eventually registered a comprehensive 227-run win.

During a post-match discussion on Sony Sports, Karim was asked about Kishan's formative years, to which he responded:

"Ishan Kishan always had the talent. He was born in Patna. He decided to play for Jharkhand, where there is excellent infrastructure and good competition. The biggest thing is that MS Dhoni comes from the same state. So he got to learn a lot from him."

The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter added that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper has had an extremely strong influence on Kishan. He observed:

"Ishan Kishan spent a lot of time with him in the dressing room when both played together for Jharkhand. MS Dhoni used to go back and play for Jharkhand whenever he got an opportunity. So there has been an extremely strong influence, both in wicket-keeping and batting."

Dhoni has often been seen passing on his knowledge to youngsters even after retiring from international cricket. He has been the guiding light, especially for Jharkhand players like Kishan and Shahbaz Nadeem.

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"This mindset of batting has always been there" - Saba Karim lauds Ishan Kishan's approach

Ishan Kishan's double century was the fastest in ODI history. [P/C: BCCI/Twitter]

Karim pointed out that Kishan has always had an aggressive mindset, saying:

"The biggest thing is that this mindset of batting has always been there. He captained India under-19, when Rishabh Pant was also there along with him and Rahul Dravid was the head coach, in the World Cup in 2016. Unfortunately, India lost in the final."

The former Indian selector reckons the diminutive wicketkeeper-batter can represent India in all formats, reasoning:

"The eyes have been on him since then. After that, he got the chance to play for India A and batted like this only. I believe he is a player who can play all formats going ahead. He has the technique and the passion to score runs at a fast pace, and in today's era you need batting like that."

Karim concluded by opining that Kishan will only improve with experience. He added that the Men in Blue need to follow an attacking approach in the middle overs, which the youngster exhibited in Saturday's game.

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