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, and 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 he did come back last season. Showed what it takes to face up to the trolls and the louts. And this time round, he has been near-perfect.
On Tuesday night, he was brilliant. To bowl against the likes of Quinton de Kock and Nicholas Pooran 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 Dayal 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 Rupees five-crore bid will. One bad over did not leave a terminal 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.
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Last night, Dayal must have felt the emotion. But it was emotion of a very different kind. It must have been one of elation, and that’s where the comeback really came full circle. Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Dilhara Fernando for a duck in the 2007 World Cup, and wanted to give it all up. He wanted to retire. Even the greatest found it hard. Dayal must have discovered that it is okay to fail. He knows everyone is entitled one bad day.
Yes, it is hard when millions are watching, but that’s what sport is all about. Now, when he runs in and picks a few wickets, the same people who had trolled him will start applauding again. That’s what the IPL is all about. It is about aspiration and fulfilling dreams. It makes you a hero overnight, and a fallen hero soon after. But then again, it offers you an opportunity. Make, break and make again. That’s why it is the brand it is now. It’s the reason it captures our imagination for two straight months every year.
The Dayal story isn’t unique. Rather, it is the norm in the IPL making it India’s most valued sports property. A further chapter was added to it last night, to enrich it further.
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