Gujarat Titans star all-rounder Vijay Shankar backed their under-performing pacer, Yash Dayal stating that these kinds of things can happen on the cricket field–and reckoned that the defending champions will support him in the best way possible to come out of this tough situation.
The left-arm pacer failed to defend 29 runs in the last over as his state-mate Rinku Singh took him for the cleaners in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Speaking on Dayal’s bowling performance, Vijay Shankar defended the UP pacer recalling the memories of IPL 2022, where he bowled some exceptional spells for the Gujarat franchise.
Speaking to the media, after the match against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, the Indian all-rounder stated that a player cannot be judged based on a single match, recalling his hard work in the domestic circuit to reach his level.
“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,” Vijay Shankar said.
Rinku Singh went all guns blazing in the final over, as Yash Dayal could not execute his plan as he landed three full tosses and two slower ones which found no match to Rinku’s batting exploits. Shankar reiterated that the team will make ensure that he is in good mental space for the forthcoming games.
“These things are bound to happen and so many players have been in tough situations. 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,” he maintained.
I Can Feel What He Is Feeling And We Back Him – Vijay Shankar
Vijay Shankar has seen himself in this kind of situation when he played struggling innings against Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy final where he faced the wrath of the fans before Dinesh Karthik sealed the victory for India in the last-ball thriller.
Speaking on the final over, Shankar admitted that they were ahead of game until the 20th over and added anything can happen in the game of cricket.
“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,” he asserted.
Gujarat Titans will take on Punjab Kings in their fourth match of the league stage on April 13 in Mohali, Punjab.