"I could not understand his words, I just kept looking at him" - Yash Dayal on his first interaction with Virat Kohli
Yash Dayal recently opened up on his first interaction with Virat Kohli in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp during this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). He said that Kohli gave him a lot of confidence, assuring that the franchise would back him throughout the season.
He mentioned that Kohli's words meant a lot to him and it helped him bounce back after a dismal IPL 2023 season with Gujarat Titans (GT). Dayal also suggested that the ace batter is nothing like how he is portrayed on social media.
During an interview with News 24, the left-arm pacer said (from 15:27):
"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."
About his first-ever interaction with Kohli, Dayal said that he was in awe of the former RCB skipper and just kept looking at him. The 26-year-old remarked:
"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."
Yash Dayal was the leading wicket-taker for RCB in IPL 2024, bagging 15 wickets from 14 outings at an economy rate of 9.14. He successfully defended 17 runs off the final over in the team's must-win match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), taking his side into the playoffs.
"He has been my idol right from the start" - Yash Dayal on Zaheer Khan
In the aforementioned interview, Yash Dayal was asked to name a bowler whom he idolizes. He said that right from his childhood, he has considered former India seamer Zaheer Khan as his idol.
About drawing inspiration from Zaheer, he said (from 10:45):
"Zaheer Khan is my only idol. I haven't met him yet. When I started watching cricket in my childhood, I saw Zaheer Khan bowling a lot and troubling the batters.
"When I got a sense of cricket, I understood that he was one bowler whom I could follow. He has been my idol right from the start. If you ask 90's kids which bowler's action have they tried to copy, everyone would say it was Zaheer Khan."
Yash Dayal earned his maiden India call-up after being named in the squad for India's first Test of the upcoming two-match home series against Bangladesh. The match is set to kick off on September 19 in Chennai.