India's most experienced contemporary quick, Ishant Sharma, explained how his relationship with former skipper MS Dhoni only grew with time. 

Ishant said he began understanding Dhoni better as he started interacting with the man more after 2013, five years into his international career. 

WATCH: Ishant Sharma resumes outdoor training after lengthy COVID-19 hiatus

"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'.

"Then I got to know how cool he is and how nicely he talks to the youngsters and treats them. He is the same on the field, he has never asked us to not visit him in his room. You can ask (Mohammad) Shami, he goes to his room the most!"

"He (Dhoni) 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," the pacer added. 

Dhoni trusted Ishant a lot, as the pacer provided him with the kind of control and consistency he craved as captain in Test matches from his bowlers at a time when the Indian attack wasn't half as threatening to the opposition batting line-ups as is today. 

That is why even when the individual returns from him weren't as great in terms of the sheer number of wickets taken, Ishant always featured in Dhoni's plans. 

Their relationship peaked at Lord's in 2014 when Dhoni asked Ishant to go for the bouncer ploy against the English batsmen and he returned with his best Test figures of 7/74 in a famous Indian victory. 

Ishant today at 31 is the leader of a much-vaunted pace battery, also including Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav. Dhoni's role in his journey can't be downplayed.