Yash Dayal (L) and Virat Kohli© X (formerly Twitter)
It has been a topsy turvy journey for Yash Dayal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) till now. The young fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh was part of the Gujarat Titans franchise in 2023 and he showed great promise in the first few matches. However, during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he was slammed for five consecutive sixes in the final over by Rinku Singh as his team slumped to a shocking defeat. It was a huge blow to his confidence as he struggled to find form after that match and it came as a surprise to many as Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked him up for Rs 5 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.
The presence was immense on the young pacer as he joined the RCB ranks but he repaid their trust by producing a brilliant show in the tournament and picking up 15 wickets for the franchise.
In a recent interview, Dayal revealed the role that star batter Virat Kohli played in boosting his confidence when he joined RCB and added that Kohli makes the youngster in the team extremely comfortable.
"The biggest thing he (Kohli) said to me was that he will back me the whole season. He told me that I will not feel like I have come to a new place, and he backed me completely. So this was a huge boost up and he talks to the youngsters in such a very healthy way and he is nothing like what people talk about on TV. I don't feel like that," Dayal told Sports Tak.
Meanwhile, Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), congratulated talismanic batter Virat Kohli for completing 16 years of playing international cricket.
Kohli made his international cricket debut in India's ODI against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, a couple of months after he became the Under-19 World Cup-winning captain at Kuala Lumpur.
“16 years ago today, a 19-year-old @imVkohli stepped onto the international stage for the first time, marking the beginning of what has become a truly legendary career. Congratulations to the King on completing 16 years in international cricket!” wrote Shah on ‘X'.
(With IANS inputs)