Hardik led the way in consoling him - Yash Dayal's father after Sunday's 'nightmare'

One day after Gujarat Titans' Yash Dayal conceded five sixes in the final over to Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh, the fast bowler's father has revealed that he was consoled in the dressing room by his team-mates, led by the captain Hardik Pandya.

Dayal spoke to his father late on Sunday night after the bowler conceded the highest number of runs (31) in the final over of a chase to lose an IPL game. He said that he he struggled to grip the ball due to wet conditions.

"It was a nightmare yesterday," Chandrapal Dayal told PTI on Monday. "They made him [Yash] sit in the centre [in the dressing room] and consoled him. Later, there was naach-gaana [dance, music] and they spent some light moments with him.

"He told me that somehow the ball was slipping out and he was not having a proper grip on the night as he missed his yorkers. Even he tried a slower one from the back of his hand, that too was smashed."

Dayal plays domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, the same team as Rinku - the batter's familiarity with the bowler's plans may have helped him chase down the improbable final-over target. Chandrapal said the episode would make his son come out stronger.

"He [Rinku] just had to smash every ball and they know each other well. It may have come handy for Rinku and it was simply not his [Dayal's] day. Many great cricketers have gone through this.

"These are the moments sport is made up of. Even in life you come across failures, it's important to stand up stronger."

Dayal missed his yorker lengths on three occasions and paid the price as Rinku hit his first three full-tosses for sixes. After that, his half-tracker was tonked over long-on while his final delivery was flat-batted down the ground for six more. While the broadcasters' camera showed the Knight Riders celebrating deliriously after the match, they also showed Dayal on his knees, wiping his forehead and being patted on his back by his team-mates. His coach Amit Pal said that Sunday was simply not Dayal's day.

"He bowls the yorker so well but could not get one last night," Pal told PTI. "Maybe he was done in by pressure. Maybe it was because at the other end, there was Rinku who knows him well since their junior camp days."

Dayal was signed by the Titans before IPL 2022 and played his part in the side winning the title last season. This season, he has been expensive and wicketless, conceding 14 runs in one over in his first game, 12 runs in one over in his second game, and 69 in four overs on Sunday.