In the swing of things, Yash Dayal aims to clock 150kph

The Gujarat Titans left-arm quick talks about building blocks to his learning curve which include training sessions with Glenn McGrath and Courtney Walsh

RP Singh-Praveen Kumar-Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Striving to add to the thread and follow in their footsteps is Yash Dayal, the latest swing sensation from Uttar Pradesh. Dayal, 24, was among the India reserves in the recent ODI series against West Indies. His fast-developing reputation of being a strongly-built left-arm swing bowler who can be express as well took Dayal’s bid up to ₹3.2 crore during this year’s mega IPL auction.

Yash Dayal (Instagram/imyash_dayal)

Set to play for Gujarat Titans this season, the Prayagraj speedster has already given his cricketer father, Chandrapal, a former fast bowler—he played Vizzy trophy in late 80’s—enough reason to dream big. The exposure Dayal has already received before even breaking through the ranks properly is typical of the headstart a modern-day cricketer gets to make. Three years back, Dayal trained under Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation. Along the way, he has also been guided by Praveen and Bhuvneshwar. He also benefitted from a stint with Courtney Walsh during a Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) camp. And most recently, while training with the national team, Dayal took tips from Paras Mhambrey, the Indian bowling coach. Each of those training sessions has been the building blocks in his learning curve.

ADDING PACE

“At the MRF academy, McGrath Sir worked with me on hitting the right lengths consistently. He also spoke of the importance of a smooth run-up,” Dayal said. It is during this stint that the left-arm fast bowler learned to add pace. “I worked on bettering my arm-speed. That’s what helped me to increase my pace. I learnt to do all that without the hand wavering and losing my wrist (position),” he said.

“I would always swing the ball. After a point in time, I realised with some smart work on my pace, I could be a much-improved bowler. I could stand out that way because very few can swing at high pace,” he said. Each of the recent fast bowlers from UP who have gone on to play for India could swing the ball prodigiously. But they all bowled at moderate speeds. Dayal, who is more Zaheer Khan-like with a prominent leap in his delivery stride, wants to stand out in the crowd with proper pace.

While playing local cricket with no access to speed guns, Dayal would think of himself as a 135 kmph bowler. “During a Vijay Hazare game, when I was fielding at the boundary, my video analyst told me that I was hitting 140kph. That’s when I understood my pace. It felt very good that I was hitting 140 consistently. I am aiming to hit 150 one day,” he said. Dayal also knows adding pace without losing the ability to swing is critical. Bhuvneshwar had learnt it the hard way. “Both PK (Pravin) and Bhuvi bhaiyya have taught me a lot,” he said.

GETTING BASICS RIGHT

It’s with Walsh that Dayal says he learnt to do the ‘boring’ things right. “In our 15-day camp, we did so much of spot bowling. It’s boring to bowl long spells. But I have realised those are the basics you have to follow in fast bowling,” he said.

The recent stint at the India team’s nets has further polished Dayal’s bowling skills. “Whenever I would bowl a bad ball, the senior seamers would tell me about how I could use the crease, how my hand could come from different angles. Paras Sir took a lot of interest, helping me understand the batter’s mind. Those few days gave me a big confidence boost.”

Armed with those experiences, Dayal also has his father to lean on for mental conditioning. “I discuss all my cricket with papa,” he said. “When my bidding was over, pictures of my early days, all the hard work flashed in front of me like a film reel. Even with my eyes wide open, I was reliving those moments. I can’t even express how I felt. Everyone at home became very emotional.”

To further hone his skills, Dayal will get to work with Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra, another successful left-arm pacer. “I have high hopes from my first IPL season,” he said. “Firstly, I want to make a place in the playing eleven. Then, I will try to get Rohit and Virat bhaiyya out. Those will be the big wickets to get.”