Bangladesh Test: How Yash Dayal came back after being down in the dumps

Remember Yash Dayal, the left arm fast bowler who got clobbered for five sixes in an over by Rinku Singh in an IPL game last year? The wheel seems to have turned a full circle for him as the soft-spoken Allahabad man finds himself in the 16-member Test squad named last week for the first Test against Bangladesh from 19 September.

It was a fateful last over in the match between Gujarat Titans, Yash’s erstwhile team, and Kolkata Knight Riders, which made Rinku an overnight hero and turned the 26-year-old bowler into a favourite subject for meme makers. Needless to add, he didn’t figure in any more games last season as the Dayal family still recall the trauma all of them had to undergo for days together.

Roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore to boost an almost anaemic pace attack for the 2024 season, Yash showed he had left the scars well behind to emerge as one of their most successful bowlers with 15 wickets from 14 matches at an economy rate of 9.15.

However, it’s his proven capabilities with the red ball in domestic cricket which apparently gave Yash the edge over T20 specialist Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed for a Test call-up as the team management is also on the lookout for a left-armer for the Australia tour later this year.  

Realities of life

Speaking in a video released by RCB on their social media handles earlier this year, Yash relived the tough times: "Mujhe reality se robaroo karwaya us over ne (that over made me face the realities of life. That over was a big learning for me. That over taught me how to prepare for things that I am not prepared for. It also taught me how to tackle situations."

Yash's father Chandarpal Dayal, a former UP fast bowler himself in the 1980s, had shielded his son during those tough times. Relieved that his son could finally turn the corner, Dayal told the media: "Everyone wrote him off. From the morning, I am receiving a number of congratulatory calls and messages. Still, no one is talking about his hard work, grind and the way he tackled the pressure. I have stopped bothering about those things. I have uninstalled my social media accounts."

Incidentally, the history of the sport has seen enough examples of bowlers who have come back strongly to be greats of the game after being down in the dumps. The best documented episode was that of Stuart Broad, who was pummelled for six sixes by Yuvraj Singh in one over in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, going on to become one of the most successful new ball bowlers with James Anderson in Tests.  

The fateful last over by Ben Stokes in the World T20 final in 2016 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, where he was smashed for four consecutive sixes by Carlos Braithwaite, is also fresh in memory. 

Recent performances often have a telling impact in selection meetings, and this is where Yash also scored when, in the first round Duleep Trophy game, he hit the ball in the right areas and bowled with good control to send back Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel in quick succession.

Named as part of a 16-member squad, it’s difficult to see Yash making his Test debut in Chennai, though new head coach Gautam Gambhir is often known to take a few bold calls. Former India spinner Sunil Joshi, coach of the UP state team, backs the bowler to be on the flight Down Under.

“I have seen his rise from close quarters. I have worked with Arshdeep for two years at Punjab Kings, Khaleel was in my team (India A) in this Duleep Trophy match and Yash has been our go to bowler in the Ranji Trophy. I feel Yash stood out in the first round of the Duleep Trophy. All three of them are good, but Yash moves the ball both ways, he hits the deck hard and if fit, he should be picked for the Australian tour,” he added.