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The Indian Premier League has changed the lives of many young cricketers. The motto of the tournament "where talent meets opportunity" has proven to be right repeatedly. Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal have performed really well in IPL before donning the national team's jersey.
Apart from this, U19 stars who work hard to make it to the national team get to share the dressing room with the greats even before they make their international debut. Ishan Porel is one such player who got to feature in the IPL after a fabulous 2018 World Cup campaign. But Porel was already lucky enough to play under Rahul Dravid and the youngster himself accepts that. During an interview with SportsTiger, Ishan Porel opened up on his stint under Rahul Dravid during his U19 days and what kind of relationship the two share.
Porel was quick to recall how the current India head coach backed him during his U19 World Cup campaign. He also revealed how kind and down-to-earth Dravid is. While talking about Dravid's impact on his career, Porel said, "The biggest impact that I had in my career during the U19 World Cup was Rahul sir backing me when I got injured. He told me 'Don't worry, just try and get fit before the quarterfinals and you will be the first one to be given priority to play the match'. So, those few words were really a booster for me.
"Right now, as I have been a part of the India A side for the last 2-3 years and also go to NCA, a conversation between me and Rahul sir will always be there. I have had interactions with him before that as well. This has made it easier for me to go and talk to him. If I need something personally, I can call him any time. That access is always there for all the players. It's a nice thing to feel like a young cricketer that someone that great is very kind and down-to-earth. It really helps when someone who has done so much for Indian cricket is there to help when you need something," added Porel.
Jasprit Bumrah is my favorite: Ishan Porel
The 23-year-old will be starting his third stint with Punjab Kings when the IPL 2022 begins. Talking about his favorite cricketer in the Indian Premier League, Porel named Jasprit Bumrah. "My favorite cricketer in IPL right now is Jasprit Bumrah because he is doing great in the shorter format as well as in the longer format," said Ishan.