Dream Believe Achieve: Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav is a known name across India; the fast bowler has taken the nation by storm. But what most don’t know is that he comes from a very humble background.
Born, October 25, 1987, Yadav, who represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket, hails from a tiny village called Valli, outside Nagpur. His father used to work in a coal mine, something he never wanted for any of his 3 sons.
Yadav himself aimed for the Indian Army, but that didn’t work out. Around the same time, he started playing tennis ball cricket locally and tried to get into a college team; realising that he needs to represent a club. He signed up for Vidarbha Gymkhana and created history there! In spite of playing with shoes that had studs instead of spikes, he took 3 wickets for 37 runs!
He caught the eye of the Vidarbha selectors and soon played against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. He did not bowl the 2nd innings but in the 1st, he took 4 wickets for 72 runs! And he got the ticket to the Indian team 2 years later, making his debut in 2009.
Yadav continued to perform well in domestic matches and soon was bought by Delhi Daredevils for the 2010 season of IPL. From here, Yadav’s life transformed completely. He played seven matches that season and picked six wickets.
He has been the head of the Indian bowling attack since the day he got into the Indian team.
This year’s IPL saw him as the peak performer for RCB, taking 20 odd wickets and providing important breakthroughs, very often very early in his 4 overs spell.
And he showed us that achieving is possible if you just believe in your dreams.
