Bengaluru/Hyderabad: It was April 9, 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that Kolkata Knight Riders star all-rounder Rinku Singh had disdainfully hit then Gujarat Titans pacer Yash Dayal for 31 runs in the final over and romped his side home.
Left-arm pacer Dayal had to defend 29 runs but at that time he couldn't. Dayal was naturally heart broken and after 15 days, the then Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya had said, "Yash Dayal fell ill and lost 7-8 kilos (weight) after that match. There was a spread of viral infection and due to the pressure he faced, his condition is presently not good enough to take the field. It is going to take a long time before we see him on the field."
Then Dayal started his comeback journey which wasn't surely an easy one. But was stood out was the grit and determination of the young speedster from Uttar Pradesh, who finally stole the limelight on May 18, night, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, when his side - the Royal Challengers Bengaluru - needed it the most.
The equation was set - CSK needed a win to qualify for the Play offs as only one spot was left and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who had won five games on the trot needed to win by 18 runs or more to make the playoffs. And in a thriller which panned out in Bengaluru, Yash Dayal had to defend 17 runs in the final over for a place in the play-offs and the speedster reposed the faith in him shown by his skipper Faf Du Plessis. It was solely due to Yash Dayal that RCB secured their sixth win on the trot and made to the playoffs.
Yash Dayal had Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the best finisher and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to deal with to start the over. Dhoni, who is on the cusp of ending his IPL, career smashed Dayal for a six on the first to dampen the hopes of a jam-packed crowd. But it was Dayal, who had the last laugh and on the very next ball, he dismissed the 'Thala', who made the long walk to the dressing room.
Then Dayal defended the last four balls and the entire Bengaluru city erupted in joy and the party was on the entire night in Cubbon Park and other areas. Dayal's story has to be one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Indian Premier League, which began in 2008. Hopefully the show at Chinnaswamy will help Dayal overcome the scars of that night at the Motera.
"When I got hit the first ball (by Dhoni), subconsciously you reach that place (Rinku's five sixes off him). But I did well this whole season and I kept telling myself that I just had to bowl a good ball.
"I didn't have to look at the scoreboard. I just had to bowl well. I used that confidence in execution," said Dayal who kept RCB's remarkable comeback story alive in this IPL.
The last over also indicated the coming of age for Dayal, who learned from the mistakes he made against Rinku's onslaught. After the full toss that Dhoni duly dispatched out of the ground, Dayal returned to bowling slower balls into the pitch that resulted in the former India captain's wicket and just one run off the following four balls.
"The last time what happened with me, it made me a little nervous. But since I have come in the RCB setup, I have worked very hard on practice and I have delivered in matches. I just wanted to focus on bowling two balls well.
"Even if when plans were not executed well, the seniors were standing, they did not scold me or anything. That was a positive thing and it helped me a lot on the ground," he said.
In what arguably has been the toughest season for bowers, Dayal has managed 15 wickets in 13 games at a decent economy rate of 8.94. Dayal was supposed to bowl the penultimate over but a last-minute change of plan saw him bowling one of the most important overs of his life.
"Actually, I was going to bowl the second last over. But suddenly DK (Dinesh Karthik) bhaiya and Faf (du Plessis) spoke. I don't know what they talked about. They said that Lockie (Ferguson) will bowl and then I'll bowl the main over. I was fine with both."
Dayal feels the constant support that he has received from RCB has led to desirable results. "I have got proper backing from RCB. When I came at the start, the management told me that I am an important player. I will be backed from the starting to the end, which is a very good thing. All the youngsters who were picked, they were told the same thing. That is now visible in the results also," added the speedster from Uttar Pradesh.
So what was the turning point of the game? and Dayal quipped, "I think Dhoni bhaiya's wicket was the turning point, as the first ball went for six." In cricket and life, one gets a second chance and Yash Dayal grabbed it with both hands.
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