Young RCB pacer Yash Dayal, in his interview with NDTV Sports, revealed a memory of how Virat Kohli’s immense support as the RCB den helped him to revive his performance as well as confidence in the game.
Since then, Yash Dayal has been unstoppable not only in the shortest format of the game but also in the other divisions of domestic cricket. He has received his maiden test call for the Indian team after his splendid performance in the Duleep Trophy first round.
Dayal was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore following his disgusting season with the Gujarat Titans in 2023, where he was hit for a 5-consecutive sixes by KKR finisher Rinku Singh. This put the young bowler much under pressure, as he even was toiled mentally.
Dayal says that Kohli had assured him that the Royal Challengers will have him in the team even if his performance is of the most disgusting level. However, Dayal performed very well with the RCB side, as they made their way into the playoffs with a decent performance in the group matches.
“Virat eased the pressure before the first match by telling me that RCB was going to back me throughout the season, irrespective of how I performed.”
Kohli suggested Dayal move forward in life and let the bygones be bygones. He also identified that Kohli is not the man social media often portrays him as, as he named him as one of the best motivators and a mature cricketer who can lead others to growth and inspiration.
He also mentioned a match glimpse where he got the legend MS Dhoni’s wicket in a high-tension match, under the advice of Virat Kohli. While bowling against Dhoni when they needed 35 runs in the final over, he was hit for a huge six on the first delivery.
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The CSK team needed 17 runs to ensure their qualification; it was then that Kohli suggested Dayal slow it down rather than bowling a Yorker. The young man went according to the advice and struck in the next ball against the veteran finisher. RCB eventually won the match by 27 runs and secured a playoff spot.
“Virat bhaiya told me not to give pace to Mahi bhai, because he likes pace, so Virat bhaiya calmed me down after the 1st ball six; a chat with him helped me a lot,” Dayal revealed.
Dayal will be next seen in the India team for the 1st Test against Bangladesh, as he is probably to make his Test debut as India has been in search of a left-hand pacer for a long time now.