We all love success stories don't we? The cricket romantic in us yearns for those fairytale journeys of youngsters who were scouted from the slums – the 'before' and 'after' pictures do seem to provide a closure of some sort. Hailing from Nagpur, the son of a coal-miner had a family to feed and pursued a career as a police officer. After several failed attempts in the police force and the army, a teen-aged Umesh Yadav turned to cricket in a desperate attempt to make ends meet.
Extremely well-built and unusually fit for an Indian fast bowler,Yadav joined one of the less celebrated teams in the Ranji trophy - Vidarbha. Under the watchful eye of his captain Pritam Gandhe, Yadav discovered and learned the nuances of the leather ball, swiftly earning himself a Ranji debut in 2008 against Madhya Pradesh. He had impressive numbers after his maiden season, picking up 20 wickets at an average of 14.60; however, it was his rapid pace, regularly clocking in the mid-140s along with considerable swing even against the direction of the seam, that caught the eye of the national selectors.
