Yash Dayalthe left-arm pacer has earned his maiden call-up to the Indian cricket team for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
The 26-year-old earned the call-up thanks to his stellar performance in the IPL 2024 and the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024.
From the heartbreak of IPL 2023 to India’s move to the Test squad, it has been nothing short of cinematic..
After a tumultuous 2023 season, Dayal had a nightmare against Rinku Singh, who went for five consecutive sixes in the Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) match.
Yash Dayal reveals how Virat Kohli’s pep talks revived his career
After that match, Dayal was heartbroken and thought it was all over, but at this point, the icon of Indian cricket Virat Kohli helped save him and helped the pacer revive his career.
Recently, Dayal recalled an incident after a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) networking session when Kohli approached him with an unexpected invitation, he was talking about his favorite Virat Kohli moment.
The RCB The pacer revealed that Kohli invited him to his hotel room and gave him not only technical advice but pep talks, which made him play the game the way he does now.
In a video released by Gorakhpur Lions, Yash Dayal told Jatin Sapru, “When I was practicing on the floor, Virat bhaiya came and said Yash I have a 5 minute job with you. come to my room I asked, “Yes Bhaiya, what happened?”
He told me that we will support you all season: Yash Dayal
Kohli started the conversation by referring to Rinku’s difficult moment when he hit five back-to-back sixes. Kohli asked Dayal to forget this incident. What started as a brief discussion turned into an in-depth mentoring session.
Virat Kohli shared personal stories from his career, offering Dayal not only advice but also reassurance and encouragement. Kohli assured the Indian all-rounder that he will get opportunities all season. But the former RCB captain asked Dayal to enjoy his performance on the field and it worked.
Yash Dayal later recalled, “He said that what happened with Rinku was his part, but you don’t feel less than that. Then Kohli Bhaiya narrated his stories and contacted me; those 5 minutes became 15-20 minutes. I remember everything he said. He told me that we (RCB) will support you all season; that’s why we chose you.
Whether you perform or not, you should be happy when you land. You must be excited. After that, when I came back from his room, I became the 2.0 version of myself.”
Yash Dayal reveals how Virat Kohli gets the best out of him:
In the end, Yash Dayal noted that Virat Kohli’s on-screen persona looked different, but his personal experience with the former Indian captain revealed a very different, more authentic side to the legend.
He is currently preparing for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19 in Chennai.
