Talked to MS Dhoni and understood him better after 2013, recalls Ishant Sharma

MS Dhoni’s presence in the Indian dressing room has been a missing component in the last one year after his last game came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand. A lot of bowlers in the recent past have expressed how Dhoni played an important role in helping them get settled in the Indian team, Ishant Sharma too has joined the bandwagon. 

The Delhi pacer recalled how his interaction with the then Indian skipper Dhoni was very limited before 2013. However, soon after 2013, he started talking to the World Cup-winning skipper before understanding him better. It was under the 38-year-old’s reign as captain, where the lanky pacer got one of his best spells in limited-overs cricket, where he bagged the wickets of Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara in India’s 2013 Champions Trophy victory. 

"Initially, my interaction with MS Dhoni was limited, but after 2013, I started talking to him and understanding him," Ishant said on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

Echoing Mohammed Shami’s statements, the Delhi cricketer added that he talks to youngsters and treats them well before revealing how Dhoni always kept his room open for his teammates. On top of that, Ishant suggested that cricketers could enjoy and learn a lot of things from the former Indian skipper. 

"Then I got to know how cool he is and how nicely he talks to the youngsters and treats them. He is same on the field, he has never asked us to not visit him in his room. You can ask (Mohammed) Shami, he goes to his room the most! He has always been like this, and it's a different moment to enjoy with him when you can learn a lot of things from him, about cricket or life," he added.