It Came from Hardwork, Visualisation, Muscle Memory: Yash Dayal on His Stellar Performance

In an exclusive interaction with ETV Bharat's Aditya Ighe Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Yash Dayal, who starred in the side's win over Chennai Super Kings and helped the team to qualify for the playoffs, attributed his success to hard work, visualization, muscle memory and the backing he received from the team management.

Hyderabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Yash Dayal, who bowled a stunning final over against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to lead his side into playoffs, asserted that it all came from his hard work, visualisation, muscle memory and the support of the team management.

On Saturday, Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK needed 17 runs off the final over to deny RCB the lone slot up for grabs in the playoffs. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis tossed the ball to left-arm pacer Yash Dayal.

And in a thriller which panned out at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the left-arm speedster reposed the faith in him shown by his skipper with a splendid effort. RCB secured their sixth win on the trot and made it to the playoffs while Dayal got the prized wicket of legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the player with the most runs in the final over (20th over) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history.

In an exclusive interaction with ETV Bharat, Dayal said his parents have helped him in every situation. "Obviously, it came from my hard work, visualisation and muscle memory, but I think it's all because of my parents' hard work towards me, taking care of me, taking care of my schooling, and my interest in sports," the 26-year-old Prayagraj-born pacer said.

"They helped (me) in each and every situation. All of their sacrifices were just to see me as successful as other famous personalities, who are currently the inspiration to others," added the speedster, who represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket.

"I think I changed my way of thinking after getting that 110 mtr six from ms Dhoni. After that hit I decided OK let's not think about the batsman who is playing, both ms and Jadeja is one of the best world finishers in the game. But I told myself let's bowl like what I practice more in nets & before matches keep reminding myself throughout that I have to focus on the next ball. Keep doing and repeating it. I'm happy that the best outcome came out."

According to Dayal, the support from the team management and senior players like Virat Kohli also helped him in the crunch situation.

"The credit goes to my team RCB, Virat (Kohli), captain Faf du Plessis, (Mohammed) Siraj and (wicket-keeper) Dinesh Karthik. They all are very experienced and very helpful. They helped me to remain calm in the pressure situation. I would say, I have got the proper backing from the team management, proper setup and a very positive environment," he added.

After the match, Faf dedicated his Player of the Match award to Yash Dayal.

"I dedicate this Man of the Match to Yash Dayal. The way he bowled was unbelievable. For a fairly new man, he deserves it. Pace off is the best option on this pitch and trust your skills and enjoy, this is what you trained for. The yorker did not work the first ball and he went back to pace off and it worked unbelievably well," added the South African.

RCB stumper Dinesh Karthik asserted that the people will remember the RCB win for a long time. Dayal, who was picked for Rs 5 crore in the mini auction held in Dubai in December 2023, proved his mettle by becoming a leading wicket-taker for the franchise this season. He has managed to pick 15 wickets in 13 games at a decent economy rate of 8.94.

"It is more mental game than physical. Playing at the highest level with some big names, and sharing a dressing room with international players boost your confidence. During IPL, domestic cricket, or in the off-season, I try to communicate with experienced players," concluded Dayal, for whom life came a full circle.