Yash draws Broad inspiration, ready to take on Rinku again
Even after being hit five sixes on consecutive deliveries by Rinku Singh in an IPL encounter, left-arm pacer wants to make full use of the opportunities at the UPTwenty20 League to gain more confidence ahead of the new domestic season
Young Yash Dayal will never forget being hit for five sixes in a row by Rinku Singh in an Indian Premier League match this April, but the left-arm bowler hasn’t lost his focus. Instead, he is drawing inspiration from England’s Stuart Broad.
Despite being struck for six successive sixes by Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 T20 World Cup, Broad went on to become one of the few bowlers in world cricket to take 600 Test wickets.
Gujarat Titans’ Dayal, 25, who was smacked for 31 runs in the last over of the match, could finish with just two wickets in the five IPL matches in the 2023 season. He had taken 11 wickets in his first season in the cash-rich league in 2022.
“That’s an unforgettable moment for me. But I must forget this and keep moving ahead. It’s part and parcel of the game. It can happen to anyone in the world. I always try to learn from Broad, who finished his career with 600 Test wickets even after being hit for six sixes off consecutive deliveries,” said Dayal, who wants to let his bowling do the talking for the Lucknow Falcons in the UPT20 League.
“Broad’s commitment to the game is a testimony to his calibre and it keeps motivating me a lot. Zaheer Khan is my inspiration and I wish to follow in his footsteps. I didn’t take rest even after finishing my assignment for the GT in IPL and have been working hard on my bowling at the National Cricket Academy, and I am confident to do well in the UPTL, which is a big opportunity for all the cricketers of Uttar Pradesh to showcase their skills to come on top,” said Dayal, who has taken 112 wickets in domestic matches, including 31 in T20 matches so far.
“I am focused on the process and trying to learn from my mistakes of the past so that they can’t be repeated. I have plans for the new season and will try my best to execute them properly. Currently, I am focused on white ball cricket and will go for the red ball only when the season starts in the Ranji Trophy,” said Dayal, who took two wickets in his first unofficial Test for India A against New Zealand A in Bengaluru last September.
Dayal refused to accept he would be under psychological pressure if he bowled against Rinku Singh in the ongoing UPTL at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. “I am not targeting Rinku, but for sure I will try not to commit those mistakes, which I made against him in the IPL. I will be bowling for my team and my target is to do well in the UPTL so that I can do well in the upcoming domestic season for Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
He also said that Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association-backed UPTL will help those cricketers who couldn’t get proper chance at the state team trials for the domestic matches. “Everyone is excited to play and give his best in the UPTL. This will also give an opportunity to those cricketers, who somehow missed the selectors’ attention at the time of trials.”
The Priyam Garg-led Lucknow Falcons play their first match against Dhruv Jurel-led Gorakhpur Lions in the UPTL at 3.30pm on Thursday before taking on Rinku Singh’s Meerut Mavericks at 7.30pm on September 6.
“Dayal has been bowling full throttle at the nets and I am sure about his good showing in the UPTL here,” the team’s bowling coach and former India cricketer Gyanendra Pandey said on Wednesday.
“We have a balanced side with a bunch of quality youngsters who are raring to go,” the coach added.
Lucknow Falcons owner and Ekana Sportz City owner Udai Sinha also said that UPTL was the best chance for Uttar Pradesh cricketers to stake their claim to a berth in the state teams by excelling in the league.
“If someone does well, he will have a chance to stake his claim to a place in the state teams. Your performance is being shown live on TV and no one can do injustice to your selections,” said Sinha, who also thanked BCCI vice-president and UPCA life member Rajeev Shukla for the conduct of UPTL in Uttar Pradesh for the first time.
