Gujarat Titans all-rounder Vijay Shankar has put his weight behind Yash Dayal, who had a forgettable game against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday. Dayal had to defend 29 runs in the final over against KKR but Rinku Singh took him for five consecutive sixes to help his team win the thrilling contest by three wickets.
Shankar said we can not define a player based on one over and backed Dayal to bounce back strong. Dayal conceded a total of 69 runs in his quota of four overs as he was taken for 31 runs in his final over.
The left-arm seamer from UP could not execute his yorkers on the first three balls as he bowled full tosses, which Rinku Singh capitalized on. Dayal bowled slower deliveries on the last two balls but Singh was ready to make the most of them.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Vijay Shankar said, “Last year, Yash Dayal bowled some very important overs for Gujarat Titans, to win us the tournament. You cannot define a player based on one over in a game. Everyone has worked so hard to reach the stage of IPL, having worked so hard in domestic cricket.”
“These things are bound to happen and so many players have been in tough situation. As a team, we will be with Dayal because it is not easy to come out of a situation like this. We will make sure that he is in a very good mental space going forward.”
Meanwhile, Shankar feels they were well ahead in the game when KKR needed 29 runs off the final over, which Dayal could not defend.
“Till that particular point (20th over), we were much ahead in the game. We have to accept that this is a game of cricket, and anything can happen. As a cricketer, I can feel what he is feeling, and it is about how we back him and get him out of a tough situation.”
On the other hand, Vijay Shankar scored a fine knock of 63 runs off just 24 balls as he played a fine attacking knock. Furthermore, Sai Sudharsan scored his second consecutive fifty of the season as he scored 38-ball 53.
Gujarat Titans will next face Punjab Kings at the IS Bindra Cricket Stadium, Mohali on Thursday.
