Rookie fast bowler Yash Dayal is looking forward to his maiden IPL stint with the new franchise Gujarat Titans. GT head coach Ashish Nehra had played an instrumental role in roping in the left-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh.
In fact, Gujarat Titans spent a whopping INR 3.2 Crores for the 24-year old and it did surprise a lot of cricket pundits.
Dayal has played only 14 first-class matches and as many List A games in the domestic circuit and he is looking forward to playing under the tutelage of Ashish Nehra. Dayal has worked on his speed and he would be looking to impress in his maiden season of the lucrative IPL.
Yash Dayal said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, “I have added pace in the last few months. Earlier I used to bowl in the early 130s. Now I am touching 140kmph consistently”, he said, before going on to add, “If I can swing the ball at this pace I am confident I will be able to do well for my team”.
Dayal is looking forward to working with Nehra and improving his skills as a bowler in the upcoming season of the IPL.
“Absolutely. Having him as head coach is great because he has seen it all as a player and also as a coach. As a left-arm fast bowler, he was one of the best ever for India. I am much looking forward to learning from him and improving my skills”, said the young man.
Dayal who has shown the potential to go a long way in his career admitted that he was a bit nervous during the IPL auction.
“On Day 1 my name did not come up and I was hoping it will come at some point around early afternoon the next day. Finally, when our lot was up for auction I have to confess I was nervous. The two previous names went unsold and I was thinking if I wasn’t picked up by anyone it was all over for me. I was with a friend at the time and had spoken to my parents ahead of the auction. And when the bid started going up, I couldn’t believe myself.”
“I wasn’t sure if it was real. I can’t describe to you the joy and must say it wasn’t something I had expected. My world had changed and when I called my parents soon after they were in tears. It seemed all the hard work I had put in had worked for me”, said Yash.
Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 28th March.
