Yash Dayal had a forgettable night as the Gujarat Titans left-arm pacer was carted for five sixes in a row by Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Rinku Singh in their IPL 2023 match at Ahmedabad.
When Dayal came to bowl KKR needed 28 runs in the last over, an improbable task under normal circumstances. But Rinku smashed the three full tosses and two half-trackers for successive sixes to snatch an unforgettable win for the Knight Riders.
Right now, Dayal could be inconsolable.
But the Uttar Pradesh pacer can take a slice of consolation from the fact that some elite cricketers were handed the same treatment in the past.
Carlos Brathwaite vs Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes is the premier all-rounder in the world but he faced the same predicament in the 2016 T20 World Cup final.
West Indies needed 19 runs to win the final in the 20th over and Stokes came to bowl with England all but sealed the trophy. But Carlos Brathwaite had other ideas as he smoked 4 sixes in a row to take Windies to the championship.
Yuvraj Singh vs Stuart Broad
Another England bowler Stuart Broad too had gone through the wringer in the T20 World Cup 2007 in Durban.
India’s stylish left-hander vented his fury against Broad hammering him for six sixes in a row to become the first batter in the shortest format to achieve the feat. But Broad went on to become an all-time great England pacer with over 500 Test wickets.
Dimitri Mascarenhas vs Yuvraj Singh
However, Yuvraj Singh himself had tasted that merciless treatment when England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas lofted him for 5 sixes in a row in an ODI match at the Oval in 2007.
Yuvraj ended up with figures of 5 for 59 as England piled 316 for 6. But Yuvraj could find some peace of mind as India won the match based on a 150-run opening stand between Sachin Tendulkar (94) and Sourav Ganguly (53).
So, take it easy, Dayal. You will have better days ahead.
