Yash Dayal is a case study of resilience and determination. To make it back after what he went through last year couldn’t have been easy. Five sixes conceded to Rinku Singh, and he was the favourite whipping boy of social-media trolls. The subject of memes, he was mocked for days and weeks. No one cared for his mental health, or that he was a youngster. He lost weight and was depressed. Many felt his IPL was perhaps over, and it would take him months and years to get back to the game.
But how he came back last night! Against one of the very best in history in MS Dhoni, who had just hit him outside the park, Dayal faced his toughest test in the last over. After he had conceded a first-ball six, even Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans would have told you that, with Dhoni on strike, it was Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who were favourites. One more six, and it was done. Dayal needed to keep his nerve and do something special. He did. The slower one bowled to perfection, and Dhoni did not get the distance that he needed. Swapnil Singh settled under the ball and caught it perfectly. RCB were a step closer and the dream was alive.
But then, Ravindra Jadeja was still there. Ask Mohit Sharma, and he would tell you that his one-time CSK teammate is more than capable of getting 10 off two balls. Again, Dayal was in the hot seat. Two perfect slower balls and, all of a sudden, it was redemption song. Dayal had emerged victorious and taken RCB to the play-offs. A fairy tale, a dream come true, incredible – all kinds of adjectives could be used, but in truth, this was about nerve. Pure self-belief. That he could do it under the most extreme pressure. That Rinku belongs to his past, and this current season is about the present and future.
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Can they go the distance from here?
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On Saturday night, he was brilliant. To bowl against the likes of Dhoni and Jadeja at the death isn’t easy. And yet, Dayal had a spring in his step. It was as if he was ready for battle and enjoying the challenge. In the words of Abhinav Bindra, he had accepted the pressure and was successful in finding ways of dealing with it. Dayal embraced adversity last night at the Chinnaswamy, and came out a winner at the end of it. Bowling the wide-outside-off-stump channel and mixing things up with slower balls, it was a spell that defined what he stands for. More than anything else, it showed character.
For Dayal, the five sixes he conceded in that 2023 game are no longer going to define him. The final over from last night will. One bad over did not leave a permanent scar. The faith shown by RCB is proof that the over was an aberration. And that’s what should inspire youngsters, who know that one bad day or a bad innings isn’t really the end of the world. If Dayal can, so can they, and that’s the biggest takeaway if you are an uncapped Indian youngster.
For RCB, the dream is well and truly alive. Six wins on the trot, and for the IPL as a brand, there couldn’t have been a better result. But in all this, don’t forget Dayal. Yes, there was Virat Kohli who played another blinder. Dhoni too did his part. But Dayal upstaged them all with that one over of his. It was his night, and he was the real star.
Last night, Dayal must have felt the emotion. But it was emotion of a very different kind. It must have been elation, from the knowledge that he had come full circle.
In a sense, the Dayal story is the story of the IPL. It is about aspiration and fulfilling dreams. It makes you a hero overnight, and a fallen idol soon after. But then again, it offers you an opportunity. Make, break and make again. Can he go the distance and add a further chapter to the fairy tale? Comebacks are always more important and fascinating than setbacks, and Dayal is clearly intent on scripting his own story. We hope he continues to do so for one more week. For himself, and for RCB, who believed in him.
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