He might have warmed the bench in the first T20I against England on Friday (March 12), but Ishan Kishan remains unperturbed. In fact, the left-hander feels blessed that he is part of the Indian squad.

"I’m very grateful to the selectors for showing faith in me. It’s any cricketer’s dream to play for the country and an Indian team call up was a really special feeling for me that cannot be put to words," Ishan told Wisden India ahead of the second T20I.

Kishan was rewarded a place in the national side for his consistent performances in domestic cricket as well as in the IPL.

He played a key role in Mumbai Indians’ triumphant IPL 2020 campaign in UAE, scoring 516 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 145.76 with 4 half-centuries.

Ishan explained how spending time with three prolific all-rounders in Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya at the MI camp helped his game.

"A few interactions that helped my game so much has been with Hardik and Krunal Pandya and Pollard. I have seen how they plan a game, map their innings, confuse opposition by switching between big-hitting and strike rotation. I am a confidence person. Watching them and talking to them have played an integral role in giving me that confidence which has really helped my game a lot. I am really fortunate to have that kind of exposure,” he said.

"It's amazing to have mentors like Rohit bhai and so many others in the dressing room, you get to learn so much and adapt your game accordingly. It [the Mumbai Indians stint] is the bedrock of my cricket. The mentorship I received from the coaches and Rohit and Zaheer bhai really helped me," the southpaw further remarked.