[In Pictures] “I grew up wanting to be just like you” - Yash Dayal’s heartfelt birthday post for his father

Indian cricketer Yash Dayal took to social media on Saturday, January 11, to share a heartfelt birthday message for his father, Chanderpal Dayal. The 27-year-old pacer had recently played for Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The left-arm seamer featured in three matches, taking four wickets. UP finished third in Group D with three wins from six games, losing two and one match ending in a no-result, which meant that they missed out on qualifying for the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, on January 11, Yash shared a touching birthday post for his father on Instagram, accompanied by some photos, and wrote:

“I grew up wanting to be just like you dad. And today if I can even be half of the person you are. I would consider myself to have achieved something remarkable. Happy Birthday, Papa.”

Yash Dayal is yet to make his international debut. He has played 27 first-class matches, taking 84 wickets, and has also featured in 23 List-A games, picking up 36 wickets.

In the IPL, the left-arm seamer has taken 28 wickets in as many matches and will be representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2025 season.

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“There were many tough challenges in his life, but he kept fighting” - When Yash Dayal’s father reacted to the pacer's maiden national call-up

Yash Dayal received his first national call-up for India's two-match Test series against Bangladesh in 2024. Commenting on this achievement, Yash’s father, Chanderpal, said (via India Today):

"First of all, it is a matter of pride for our family. When a kid starts playing, he dreams of representing the country. Now, he has earned a call-up to represent the nation. From a small city, he has come so far. There were many tough challenges in his life, but he kept fighting. He was always obsessed with cricket. When your focus is right, you will get success.”

“I was a cricketer myself, he saw me play as a kid. Though he could not play for UP in U19, he was selected in U23 back in 2018 and since then, he has not looked back. He has been progressing consistently since then, be it in the Ranji Trophy, IPL, etc. This dream of playing for India has also come true,” he added.

However, Yash didn’t get the opportunity to make his debut in the series.