"I thought to myself, 'Yaar hamesha main hi kyu phas jaata hoon is situation mein?'" - Yash Dayal recalls his last over heroics vs CSK in IPL 2024

Yash Dayal showcased stellar composure under pressure while bowling the crucial last over in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) must-win fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). The left-arm pacer was required to defend 17 runs off the last six balls, with a spot in the playoffs at stake.

The over started with MS Dhoni striking a massive 110-meter six. However, Dayal bounced back by dismissing the seasoned campaigner off the subsequent delivery. RCB ultimately clinched a thrilling victory to finish in the top four.

Talking about the fateful over, Dayal mentioned that after Dhoni's monstrous six, he asked himself why does he always end up in situations like these. The pacer was probably getting flashbacks of Rinku Singh's five back-to-back sixes off his bowling in IPL 2023.

During an interview with News 24, Dayal said (from 12:18):

"After the first six, I didn't think that I could win the match for RCB and take them to the playoffs. While returning to my bowling mark, I thought to myself, 'Yaar hamesha main hi kyu phas jaata hoon is situation mein?'''

Yash Dayal disclosed that it was Virat Kohli who came to his rescue after the first-ball six. Mentioning that Kohli suggested he should use the slower ball option against MS Dhoni, Dayal added:

"Virat bhaiya came to me and told that I could take some time. He told me not to bowl fast to Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) and to bowl just slower ones. He said that if I bowled fast, it would surely go for a six. I had confidence in my slower ball and was able to control it well. I bowled a back of the hand one, and it worked."

Yash Dayal earned widespread praise for his last over heroics in the crucial encounter. While RCB qualified for the playoffs following the victory, the side's campaign ended with a heartbreaking four-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator.

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"Every single person came and hugged me" - Yash Dayal on how his teammates reacted to his final over against CSK

In the aforementioned interview, Yash Dayal also spoke about the celebrations in the RCB camp after their crucial victory over CSK.

He noted that every single person from the RCB contingent congratulated and hugged him. The fast bowler said (from 14:40):

"We were obviously going to celebrate after beating a team like CSK in a knockout match. I remember one thing from the celebration, every single person came and hugged me in the team room, whether it was someone's family member or it were the players."

Yash Dayal earned his maiden India call-up after being named in the Men in Blue's squad for the first Test of the upcoming two-match home series against Bangladesh. The match will be played in Chennai from September 19.