Ranji Trophy: Uttar Pradesh’s Upendra Yadav, once a fall guy, now a hero

Yadav’s father retired from the Uttar Pradesh’s police department a few months ago. Cricket happened after his neighbour living in the flat above felt that the small boy playing on the road has the potential to play serious cricket.

The next day Yadav was at the local nets and the cricketing journey began to take shape, though there were obstacles en route.

For three years, from the age of 12, Yadav didn’t find his name in the shortlisted players for the second round of a mass trials conducted by Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) every year. It’s an important trial as it was one of the ways to cut through the clutter of so many cricket aspirants and get on the official developmental cricketing map.

End Innings: Uttar Pradesh – 625/8 dec in 159.3 overs (Upendra Yadav 203 off 239, Yash Dayal 41 off 68) #MUMvUP @paytm #RanjiTrophy

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 20, 2020

“Koi janta nahi tha, koi bolne wala nahi tha. (I didn’t know anyone who could speak for me). Rejection happened a lot in those early days,” Yadav says.

He didn’t lose hope and continued to perform in local club cricket and when selection trials took place again, he outplayed everyone with his ability to score in those practice games. Soon Uttar Pradesh under 16 and under 19 happened and Yadav scaled the cricketing ladder.

Back home things were fine for the teeenager, barring that one time when his old bat started to give way.

He would keep requesting his team-mates to spare their bats. “Bats are very expensive; I can’t ask my family to spend 9000 rupees on a decent English willow bat. It was a tough request to make. I had to ask seniors and others if they could lend me one.”

He now has a sponsor.

On Monday, Yadav once again didn’t lose hope despite Mumbai getting two overnight set batsman Akashdeep Nath and Rinku Singh in quick succession, courtesy, their medium-pacer Tushar Deshpande. Batting with tailenders is nothing new for him and he prospered.

Captain Ankit Rajpoot rates him highly and says he has the quality to make tailenders bat confidently in his company. Mumbai also were guilty of some poor bowling and they fell for the old mistake: rather than planning for Yadav, they started to focus entirely on the lower half of Uttar Pradesh and that backfired as easy runs started to come. The No.8 batsman Saurabh Kumar was twice lucky in his innings, as Mumbai dropped him. Yadav added 72 runs with Kumar, who was finally caught at deep square leg while attempting a pull off Royston Dias.

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Dias continued his plan of bowling short balls but Yadav seems to be ready to counter attack, unfurling three fours. Soon, Yadav registered his successive hundred, this one came in mere 96 balls.

The innings prolonged as Yadav and Rajpoot added 119 runs for eighth wicket, rubbing more salt to Mumbai’s wounds. Mumbai were never aggressive post lunch, instead a situation came when all men were at boundary for even number nine Yash Dayal.

Uttar Pradesh waited for Yadav to reach the big milestone before declaring. It came when Yadav cut Dias to get his maiden double hundred and enabled Uttar Pradesh declare at a mammoth 625 for 8.

Mumbai’s reply wasn’t convincing as they lost opener Jay Bista and night watchman Shashank Attarde to Rajpoot for score of 20 at stumps.

Brief Scores: Uttar Pradesh 625/8 declared (Upendra Yadav 203 not out; Akshdeep Nath 115; Royston Dias 3-103) vs Mumbai 20/2.