File photo of Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal© BCCI/Sportzpics
Trolled and ridiculed when he was first signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has done very well in burying the ghosts of his Gujarat Titans stint. Dayal was one of the star performers for RCB last season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and now, his domestic cricket performances have earned him his maiden call-up to India's Test team. Recalling his journey, Dayal revealed how Virat Kohli helped him settle when he first arrived at RCB, especially as he came up against the mighty MS Dhoni when playing against Chennai Super Kings.
Dayal, in an interview with News24, revealed that it was Kohli who asked him to change strategy after Dhoni had hit him for a six on the first ball of the final over of an IPL match.
It was a virtual knockout match between RCB and CSK, with the Bengaluru franchise needing to win the contest by at least 18 runs to make it to the playoffs. In the final over, CSK needed 17 runs to ensure their qualification. As Dayal bowled the first ball of the final over, Dhoni hammered a six, putting the rookie pacer under extreme pressure. This is when Kohli jumped in and strategized the CSK stalwart's dismissal.
"Virat bhaiya told me to not give pace to Mahi bhai, because he likes pace, so Virat bhaiya calmed me down after the 1st ball six, a chat with him helped me a lot," Dayal revealed.
— M. (@IconicKohIi) September 9, 2024
On the next ball, Dayal got rid of Dhoni to put RCB in the driving seat. The Bengaluru side won the match by 27 runs and qualified for the playoffs.
During his interview, Dayal also revealed how Virat is portrayed as an overly aggressive person on social media. But, that isn't the case in reality.
"He is portrayed as an overly aggressive individual on social media but he is nothing like that. When I tried talking to him, he himself came and explained a lot of things.
"Everyone knows about the kind of season I had with Gujarat Titans. My health deteriorated after that. I had a lot of doubts in my mind, but when I started this season, I didn't miss a single training session," he said.
The left-arm pacer also revealed that Kohli gave him assurances over his place in the team, no matter the performance.
"Virat eased the pressure before the first match by telling me that RCB were going to back me throughout the season, irrespective of how I performed.
"He said that whatever happened has happened, just focus on the future. He told me that whenever I perform for RCB, there should be a smile on my face and I would have to be enthusiastic on the field. I understood what his personality was like. At first, I could not understand his words, I just kept looking at him."