Column | Yash Dayal - making big strides

Deja vu is defined as an illusory feeling involving remembering scenes and events even when experiencing them for the first time. This is often felt by persons who are on the verge of experiencing a major epileptic seizure. In real life, similar situations can arise, where one lands in a situation, which though familiar is also extremely unwelcome. Tackling those situations require grit and courage of the highest order and capacity for doing so often makes the difference between ordinary mortals and champion performers. Yash Dayal, the left- arm fast bowler, who is presently in the news after being selected to the national squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, is one cricketer who can proudly state that he faced such a situation and emerged out of it successfully.

On April 9, 2023, Yash Dayal, then playing for Gujarat Titans (GT), was entrusted by his skipper Rashid Khan to bowl the last over of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). GT had almost sewn up the game with KKR needing 29 runs to reach the target of 205, with only six balls remaining. However, after Umesh Yadav took a single off the first ball, Rinku Singh smote the next five balls for consecutive sixers to snatch the game from the hands of GT to hand his side a famous win. The first three balls to Rinku were full tosses, which the left-hander gratefully hoisted over the ropes. With his confidence severely dented, Dayal turned into a zombie and was in no position to stop a rampaging Rinku from depositing the next two balls too over the boundary.

It will be an understatement to say that Dayal was devastated after this match. Against the advice of his seniors, he checked the social media and had a taste of the nasty comments that were posted against him. He fell sick, which was not abnormal, given the high levels of mental stress he was going through. Finally, it dawned on him that he should learn to leave the issue behind him and move on. He went back to the rough and tumble world of domestic cricket where he turned out for Uttar Pradesh, his home state. A couple of good performances there helped convince the scouts from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) that he was a talent worth investing in, resulting in this franchisee buying him for a whopping Rs 5 crore during the auction the preceded the 2024 edition of the IPL. 

As luck would have it, a similar situation awaited Dayal in 2024 as well, when RCB and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced each other in a do-or-die battle to clinch the last playoff spot. RCB batted first and scored 218 in the allotted 20 overs; they had to win the game by at least 18 runs to qualify to the next stage. CSK were 184/6 at the close of 19 overs and thus needed to score 17 runs in the last over to edge RCB out. Faf du Plessis, skipper of RCB, brought Dayal, who had gone for 35 runs in three overs to bowl the last over. Facing him was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, arguably one of the greatest finishers that the game has seen. And at the non-striker's end was Ravindra Jadeja, who had struck a six and a boundary off the last two balls of in IPL 2023 final to win the title for his side. 

One will never be able to understand Dayal’s thoughts when he began this over. Dhoni welcomed him with a six off the very first ball, thus bringing down the equation to 11 off 5 balls. But the bowler had the last laugh when Dhoni skied the next delivery, which was a slower ball, into the hands of the fielder stationed at square leg fence. This dismissal brought RCB back into the game and Dayal bowled like a man possessed, conceding only a single the next four balls. Even Jadeja could not help his side as the bowler wrapped up the match and gained his side an entry into the playoffs.

A lesser mortal would have choked when confronted with a situation that was eerily similar to the one he had faced a year ago in the same championship. Cricket is a game played as much in the mind as it is on the field and this becomes an even bigger “battle of minds” in tense situations in limited overs matches. Dhoni and Jadeja are past masters in playing the mind game and turning difficult situations to their advantage. Hence it was all the more creditable for Dayal to survive this trial by fire and come up trumps against the best in the business before a huge crowd. 

It is not surprising that Dayal’s career graph started looking upwards after this match.  Incidentally, he was also the highest wicket-taker for RCB, with 15 scalps to his credit. His consistent performances in red-ball cricket got noticed by the national selectors, who chose him to the India 'B' side for Duleep Trophy matches. He struck gold in the very first game, where after taking 1/39 in the first innings, he removed the cream of India 'A' in the second, to return match figures of 4/89. Recognition from the selectors came promptly and he was included in the squad for the first Test of the series against Bangladesh.

Born in Allahabad in December, 1997, Dayal made his way to the Uttar Pradesh side for both red and white-ball cricket at senior levels during the 2018-19 season. He has been a consistent performer in all versions of the game and is a tireless workhorse, capable of bowling long spells even on flat tracks that do not offer any assistance to the bowlers. He generally bowls at a speeds between 130 and 135 kilometres per hour, which places him in the category of medium fast bowlers. However, his ability to keep the batsmen guessing by keeping the ball at the appropriate length in the “corridor of uncertainty” outside the off stump makes him a useful weapon for the captains. Further he also possesses in his armoury a wicked bouncer, a sharp yorker and a sly slower one, which makes him dangerous customer for the batsmen.  

Dayal is one of the three left-arm fast bowlers in the reckoning for a place in the national squad, with Khaleel Ahmed and Arshdeep Singh being the other two. Arshdeep had distinguished himself by his superb performances during the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup in 2024 and was generally considered as the front runner for this spot. But his relative lack of returns in the longer duration version worked to his disadvantage. Khaleel was among the wickets in the Duleep Trophy match, but was pipped at the post by Dayal, who gave a more controlled and consistent performance. 

Though he has earned the break into the world of Test cricket, Dayal cannot afford to take his place in the side for granted. He has reached a level where even the slightest chink in a player’s armour will be exploited mercilessly by the opposing side. His exposure to the highs and lows that the game has to offer, with a short period of time, must have helped him realise that in the final tally only performance matters and everything else pales into insignificance. This insight should spur him to put in more hours of hard work to cement his place in the side and attain greater heights.

Congratulations to Dayal on winning a place in the national Test squad. Here is wishing him good luck and success with the red cherry in the months ahead.

(The author is a former international cricket umpire and a retired bureaucrat)