Virat bhaiya came and said 'You can take some time' – Yash Dayal on Virat Kohli’s pearls of wisdom

Yash Dayal played a crucial role in fuelling RCB to the IPL 2024 playoffs after he claimed the big wicket of MS Dhoni. Despite being struck for a six earlier in the over, Dayal redeemed himself, scalping one of the biggest finishers of all time.

RCB had to restrict CSK within 200 runs, which gave them 16 to defend in the final over. With two options available for Faf in the form of Cameron Green and Yash Dayal, the RCB skipper opted for the latter. The first ball bowled by Dayal was rocked for a 110m maximum by MS Dhoni.

With the pressure on Dayal and a déjà vu of what happened to him back in 2023, he went back to his run-up position. Before he could hare in, Kohli had a small advice for him and what followed was the big wicket of Mahi.

As Dayal got called up to the Indian cricket team for the first time, he was in raptures. In an interview with News24, the RCB southpaw revealed that Virat Kohli played a crucial role in forging that important moment which proved to be the unravelling of Mahi in that all-important match-up.

Dayal said, “When I got hit for the six and I was going back to my run-up, I was thinking 'why is it that I always get stuck in these situations? Every time the batter hits me for runs'. But when I re-accessed the situation, Virat bhaiya came and said 'You can take some time' and what to bowl to Mahi bhai. He was like 'try the slower ball because if you give him pace then you won't need to see where the ball has landed. It will always be a six.’”

He further added, “That's when I realised that I can't give him speed, or else I'll get smashed again. It [taking the pace off] was going to be my best option. I had confidence in my slower balls; I was controlling them well. I bowled it from the back of my hand, and it worked."

Dayal also talked about the stiff competition that is to follow for him, particularly with the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed in the mix who are also the forerunners for the position of the left-arm seamer in the side. However, professing his love for red-ball cricket, Dayal also said that he is going to hang in there.

He stated, “Red-ball is love for me. It should always be the priority. Of course, white ball gives you the exposure, but if you want to become a real cricketer, red-ball needs to be prioritised if you want to play for long. I am in queue but there are people ahead of me. I can't say for sure that the search will end with me but I can surely be a choice if given an opportunity. But for that, I will need to perform."