Left-arm quick Yash Dayal turned out to be a surprise pick in India's squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, which was announced late on Sunday evening.
The first Test against Bangladesh will be played in Chennai from September 19.
For Dayal, it was about seeing both sides of the coin. Last year during an IPL game in Ahmedabad in Gujarat Titans against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Dayal was clobbered for five sixes in a row by Rinku Singh. His then team had not only lost the game, but Dayal also went through a really tough phase of his career.
An India Test call-up in over a year did seem like a miracle for Dayal during that period. But that did materialise and credit certainly has to go to the 26-year-old for his perseverance along with the improvement he made in terms of his accuracy.
In the just-concluded Duleep Trophy game against India A, Dayal, representing India B, utilised the Chinnaswamy conditions in Bengaluru quite well to finish with 3/50 on Sunday. He took just one wicket in the first innings but did impress with a 2.43 economy rate in 16 overs.
Before this Duleep clash, the IPL in Royal Challengers Bengaluru colours also witnessed a far more accurate Dayal. His tight bowling at the death alongside strikes during crucial moments was key to RCB reaching the playoffs.
With 15 wickets from 14 appearances, Dayal's economy rate in this year's IPL (9.14) also read far better than last year's 11.78 from only five matches. "The team requires a left-arm fast bowler, and Yash brings a different angle to bowling," a BCCI official told The Telegraph.
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, too, has been included in the squad for the opening Test. It was assumed that Bumrah would return for the Test series against New Zealand next month. However, the Board official stated: "It's a Test series, after all, and a crucial season lies ahead.
"So, before keeping Bumrah out, the selectors discussed the matter and came to this decision." The T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Bridgetown on June 30 was Bumrah's last appearance in a competitive game.
Bengal quick Akash Deep, after his 4/60 and 5/56 for India A in the Duleep clash in Bengaluru, also made the squad.
It wouldn't come as much of a surprise if Akash is picked as one of the pacers in the first Test as Mohammed Siraj, who missed the first round of the ongoing Duleep Trophy due to illness, appears doubtful to make the XI for the Chennai game. The 30-year-old pacer, who has been picked in the squad, is learnt to have recovered from dengue a few days ago. However, he’s “still short of 100 per cent fitness.”
Among others, Rishab Pant, as expected, made a comeback to the Test squad after December 2022, while Dhruv Jurel is the second keeper-batter. KL Rahul, too, has returned, and so have captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The squad also features Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
