'He is the best captain I have played under' - Yash Dayal on Hardik Pandya

Young left-arm pace bowler Yash Dayal has played an important role for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). The Hardik Pandya-led team has scripted history by winning the title in their debut season.

In a recent conversation with ESPNcricinfo, Dayal applauded Hardik for being calm and composed while leading the team in the tournament. He added that the skipper would always back the bowler's plans, and his approach gave confidence to him too. However, the 24-year-old also suggested that the Indian all-rounder is the best captain he has played under so far in his career.

While speaking about the Surat-born cricketer’s captaincy, Dayal said, "Hardik Pandya is very calm and confident, and he knows what to do at what point of the game. He is a bowler's captain. If you have confidence in yourself, he lets you take your own decisions. That further boosts the confidence of a bowler. I would say he is the best captain I have played under."

The 28-year-old’s leadership in IPL 2022 has earned a lot of praise from fans and experts, where he contributed significantly with both bat and ball throughout the tournament and led his side by example. Notably, he returned to the Indian Team after a stunning show and has been appointed as the captain of Team India for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland.

The UP-based bowler further opined how he had the support of GT head coach Ashish Nehra in the cash-rich tournament. He also added that the former pacer taught him the importance of sticking to the basics rather than trying too many different things altogether. 

The Prayagraj-born bowler also added that Nehra helped him perfect the seam and wrist position for inswing and outswing. The former Indian pacer also guided him in preparing plans for different situations in the game.

"Ashish Nehra backed me a lot from the beginning. Earlier I used to try a lot of different things and experiment. But Ashish sir taught me that one must be centred and focused, and taught me some basic plans to follow without taking too much pressure and not being harsh on yourself. It's a very competitive level of cricket so you must be smart too."

"He taught me seam position for outswing, how to position the hand if you're bowling inswing. He made me work on control a lot. He said how you deliver and execute is crucial, like how you bowl to the openers initially, what's your plan for them, different plans for death over," Dayal signed off.

It is also noteworthy that, Dayal was picked up by the Gujarat-based franchise for INR 3.20 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. He played nine games for the franchise and claimed 11 wickets too.