You will play for India – Yash Dayal’s father reveals family pledge to turn things around

Yash Dayal is a story of resilience. Overcoming overwhelming odds, Dayal turned things around and from being left out for the remainder the of games since that Rinku Singh blast in IPL 2023 to becoming a mainstay for the Royal Challengers in the first place. And from there going onto earn a call-up for the Indian national team, the southpaw quick has been a blazing success story.

However, the journey wasn’t easy. It wasn’t just Dayal who hit a staggering low but even his family entered into a vortex of chaos. Revealing those painful days and from there how a pledge taken by the entire family, turned a dream into reality, Yash’s father, Chanderpal Dayal opened up to news agency PTI.

Chanderpal, who is a retired officer with the Accountant General’s Office in Allahabad, stated, “Humare liye woh ek hadsa tha (It was like an accident for us). The school bus would pass by, and kids would scream, ‘Rinku Singh, Rinku Singh, five sixes.’ It was so painful -- why did this have to happen to my son?”

Stating further, he revealed how Rinku’s mother fell sick too, adding, “His mother Radha was so distraught that she fell ill and refused to eat as Yash went into a shell. Titans also released him as he had to rebuild his career.”

Atop it all, Yash Dayal’s health also entered into uncharted territories. However, the family was not willing to give up, His father stated, “Yash fell ill, but we never let him think about giving up. We, as a family, made a pledge. 'Jab tak tum (Yash) India nahin khelogey, chodenge nahin. India tum khelke rahoge (We won't stop until you play for India. You will play for India).’”

And as they say that cricket is a great leveller and it will give you the chance, if you are bold enough to hang in there, the opportunity came through when RCB picked him up in the 2024 mini-auction. Following his inclusion to the Red and Gold side, he played a crucial role in propelling the Royal Challengers to the play-offs from practically a point of no-return. His recent domestic numbers have also been amazing which earned him the call-up to the Indian squad for the first Test against Bangladesh.